Capital of Himachal Pradesh — Shimla — on Wednesday morning received season’s first snowfall which has brought cheers on the faces of tourists and local hoteliers.

Tourists gathered on the Ridge and Mall Road to experience snowfall. Snow frozen on the leaves of the trees and on the rooftops of the buildings especially located on the Ridge, Mall Road and Jakhu gave a pleasant look.

Shimla has so far received 3.8 cm snowfall, the Meteorological department said and was continuing and hotels expect that tourists from nearby areas of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi will soon visit Shimla in a large number to experience the snowfall.

Another tourist destination Kufri located in Shimla district also received 7 cm snowfall, the MeT Centre Shimla director Manmohan Singh said.

Besides tourist spot Dalhousie in Chamba district got 1.5 cm snowfall while Kalpa in tribal Kinnaur and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district also received 6 cm and 3 cm snowfall respectively, he added.

Meanwhile, the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district continued to receive heavy snowfall on Wednesday even as heavy rain lashed the lower hills in the state, weather officials said.

The heaviest snowfall was recorded at Churdhar, the highest altitude region of Sirmaur, which got over three-and-a-half feet of snow by Wednesday afternoon.

The mercury dipped below zero degree Celsius in higher areas while winds coupled with snow are blowing across the district. The lower parts of the district, including Paonta valley, Dharti Dhar, Sain Dhar and Mehal range of hills in Shillai area, have received moderate to heavy rainfall.

Roads leading to Haripur Dhar, Chopal and Nohra Dhar were closed for the vehicular traffic since early hours Wednesday as six inches of snowfall has been recorded here so far, officials said.

Two of the roads, closed due to snowfall, have been opened while efforts are being made to open Haripur Dhar and Nohra Dhar roads at the earliest, officials said.