Shimla: Tribal regions of Himachal Pradesh reeled under arctic conditions as mercury plummeted well below zero degree Celsius, freezing water pipelines and lakes. Keylong, the headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district, experienced the coldest night of the season with thermometer reading minus 15 deg C. Even the day temperature in the town was way below freezing point at 4.7 deg C.
In Kinnaur district, where all water-bodies are frozen for four days, children enjoyed ice-skating on Nako lake. Tribals in Kalpa groaned as mercury dropped to minus 5.6 deg C. Meanwhile, electricity supply has been restored in the tribal areas and all stranded people, including tourists, have been evacuated from Kalpa, Sangla and Keylong. The minimum temperature in higher altitude tribal regions ranged between minus 18 and minus 25 deg C.
The Surajtal and Chandratal lakes and 70 Km stretch of Chandrabhaga river, a tributary of Spiti, have frozen resulting in sharp fall in discharge of water into Sutlej. In state capital Shimla, the minimum was recorded at 4.5 deg C, while Dharamsala, Una, Palampur and Nahan recorded a low of 2.7 deg C, 3.2 deg C, 4 deg C and 5.6 deg C respectively.
Night temperatures hovered around freezing point in lower and mid hills. In Sundernagar, Bhuntar, Solan and Mandi, the night temperatures were minus 1 deg, minus 0.7 deg C, minus 0.3 deg and 1 deg C.
The weather remained dry and thick ground frost formed in mid and higher hills, while fog engulfed Rampur, Paonta Sahib.