Shimla, Feb 20 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh is likely to receive moderate to heavy rain and snowfall in the next two days, a weather official said on Wednesday.

Residents and tourists have been advised to avoid travelling to the higher reaches of the hill state.

"There are chances of heavy rain and snowfall at some places in the state till Thursday," Shimla's Meteorological Office Director Manmohan Singh told IANS.

During this period, roads are likely to be hampered especially in Chamba, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla and Kinnaur districts, the weather bureau said.

Most of the prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Kalpa, Dalhousie and Manali are likely to receive light to moderate spells of snowfall, he said.

The Met Department's forecast said there would be high moisture incursion from the Arabian Sea over northwest India, specifically over Western Himalayan region.

The moisture incursion may lead to heavy rain or snowfall at isolated places accompanied with thunderstorms and hailstorms.