Shimla, Jan. 21 -- A fresh western disturbance is set to impact Himachal Pradesh from the night of Thursday, bringing widespread rain and snowfall across the state, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an orange alert for heavy snowfall in higher reaches on Friday.

Speaking to ANI, Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Senior Scientist at the IMD Meteorological Centre, Shimla, said that weather conditions across Himachal Pradesh remained largely clear over the past 24 hours. However, several lower hill districts experienced severe cold wave conditions due to a sharp drop in minimum temperatures.

"During the last 24 hours, the weather remained clear across Himachal Pradesh. However, in the lower hill districts like Bilaspur, Hamirpur, ...