Shimla, Nov 28 (IANS): The cold continued to tighten its grip in Himachal Pradesh Friday with its higher reaches experiencing snowfall, and mild rainfall in low and mid hills, said an official.

"The high hills in Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu and Chamba districts experienced light to moderate snowfall Thursday night," said a weather department official.

The minimum temperature in Shimla was recorded at 8.4 degrees Celsius. At Manali it was at 0.2 degree. Shimla's day temperature was 17.6 degrees Celsius.

Shimla received mild rain along with hails while Manali got 2 mm of rain, said the Met Office.

Kalpa, some 250 km from here which experienced mild snow, saw a minimum temperature of minus 0.8 degree Celsius, while it was 8.2 degrees in Dharamsala.

Keylong, the headquarters of Lahaul-Spiti district, experienced 2 cm of snow and was the coldest in the state with a low of 4.6 degrees Celsius below the freezing point.

"The Rohtang Pass, located at an altitude of 13,050 feet and 52 km from Manali, and the Saach Pass, located at an altitude of 14,500 ft in Chamba district, have been temporality closed for the traffic owing to snowfall," said an official.

The Met Office has forecast mainly dry weather in the state till Sunday.