Shimla, Dec 11 (IANS): Large parts of Himachal Pradesh reeled under a cold weather on Tuesday, with the minimum temperature staying below the freezing point owing to snowfall, weather officials said.

The Met Office has forecast snow and rain across the state due to an active Western Disturbance till Wednesday.

State capital Shimla, with the night temperature at 3.7 degrees Celsius, saw mild rains.

Popular destination Manali, which saw 4.4 mm of rains, recorded a low of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius.

According to a Met Department official here, tourist spots like Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda experienced drizzling.

Another picturesque tourist centre Dalhousie in Chamba district saw a low of minus 0.2 degrees Celsius.

"High-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Kullu and Kinnaur districts have experienced moderate snowfall," the official said.

The temperature at Kalpa, some 250 km from here, was low at 4 degrees below the freezing point. It saw nine cm of snow.

It was minus 5.1 degrees Celsius in Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district with snow of two cm.

Western Disturbance is a term used for a storm system that generates in the Mediterranean and brings rain or snow in the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.