Chill grips high Himalayas, snowfall hits traffic

A severe cold wave has gripped Uttarakhand's high Himalayan regions, bringing an unexpected chill to the state this December with the average minimum temperature hovering around 3.5 degrees C, weather department officials said.

- NARENDRA SETHI @Dehradun

The winter landscape has transformed, with majestic Himalayan peaks blanketed in thick snow in sub-zero temperature and several villages buried under a layer of white.

In the bordering Pithoragarh district, disaster management department officials have confirmed heavy snowfall at the higher peaks of the Byas Valley, Darma Valley, Munsiyari, and Johar Valley.

"This has plunged the region into a bitter winter spell," District Disaster Management Officer Bhupendra Singh Meher said.

"As per the forecast for the approaching Saturday and Sunday for heavy snowfall, we are keeping all the DDMA staff on alert," he said.