Shimla, Jan 21 (IANS): The picturesque tourist resort Manali Wednesday evening saw heavy spells of snow, while this town just got snowflakes, the weatherman said here. The state government has sounded an alert for snow avalanches or a blizzard in the higher reaches.

The high hills in Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu, Shimla and Chamba districts have been experiencing moderate to heavy snowfall, director of the meteorological office Manmohan Singh told IANS.

He said there are chances of heavy to very heavy snow in the state till Jan 22.

According to him, some areas in Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, and Chamba districts are likely to experience more than two feet of snowfall.

Most of the prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Kalpa and Dalhousie are likely to have moderate to heavy spells of snowfall, he added.

The state government has advised the people not to venture out in snow-bound areas of Solang, Beas Kund, Nehru Kund and Kothi in upper Manali, Pangi in Chamba district, and the entire Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts owing to threat of a snow avalanches or a blizzard.

Kullu Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar told IANS that the Centre for Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment in Manali has warned that an avalanche could be triggered in the areas located at an altitude above 2,500 metres.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in Shimla was 2.5 degrees Celsius, while the maximum was just 8.3 degrees, a steep fall from Tuesday's 15.4 degrees.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in the state with a minimum temperature of 6.6 degrees Celsius below the freezing point. Keylong town too recorded snowfall.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district saw a low of minus 5 degrees Celsius while it was 4.4 degrees Celsius in Dharamsala, 0.2 degree in Manali, 2.7 degrees in Dalhousie and 5.3 degrees in Chamba.