Even as snow eluded Himachal Pradesh’s capital Shimla on Thursday, the picturesque tourist town of Manali experienced more snow, the season’s second this year. There will be no more rain or snow in the hills from Friday, officials said.

“Manali, and the hills overlooking it, experienced mild to moderate snow,” an official at the meteorological office here told IANS.

According to the Met office, Shimla recorded 15.9 mm rainfall. However, its nearby tourists resorts like Kufri had plentiful snow.

The Met said weather would remain dry after Thursday as western disturbances would recede from the region.

The picturesque Kothi, near Manali, recorded 60 cm snowfall, the highest in the state, while Kufri and Manali had recorded a fair amount of snow.

Shimla residents shivered as icy winds brought down the minimum temperature to 2.8 degrees Celsius. Shimla saw intermittent rain throughout the day.

Narkanda, some 65 km from Shimla, experienced snow, turning the hill station even more picturesque.

Tourists from the plains began to descend on Manali and Kufri.

Kalpa, about 250 km from the state capital, experienced 17 cm of snow. It recorded a low of minus 0.6 degrees.

“High-altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts have experienced moderate to heavy snow,” the official added.

Rains lashed towns in lower hills in Himachal such as Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi, pushing down the mercury.

Kasol in Kullu district recorded 50 mm of rain, the highest in the state.