Dehradun, Jan 22 (IANS) Heavy snowfall in the upper reaches of the Himalayas and rains in the lower areas of Uttarakhand on Monday heralded a fresh spell of cold wave in the hill state.

Most private and government schools were closed after the Met department's warning of heavy snowfall and rains in the state.

Tourists on Tuesday rushed to Dhanaulti, the tourist resort near Mussoorie, following an overnight snowfall that covered most of the area. Tourists also put up pictures of the heavy snow at Dhanaulti on the social media.

"It's snow everywhere. We are enjoying," said Raghuvendra Singh, a tourist at Dhanaulti. Areas such as Lal Tibba in Mussoorie also experienced snowfall in the morning.

Kedarnath and Badrinath areas also got heavy snowfall since Monday night. The reports said the upper reaches of the Garhwal Himalayas in Chamoli district experienced the heaviest snowfall of the season.

The Met department said the temperature was likely to fall in the next few days considerably in the state.