Shimla, Oct. 7 -- A week ahead of schedule, the 13,050-ft gateway to the Lahaul-Spiti district has been blanketed in a white sheet of snow, intensifying the cold wave in the region.
Fresh snowfall in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti has disrupted normal life, with early snow also damaging apple trees as fruit-laden branches buckled under the weight just before harvest.
The early snowfall, occurring in the middle of the apple season, has deepened concerns among growers in tribal districts. Continuous rainfall triggered by the Shakshi cyclone, following the formal withdrawal of the monsoon, has also delayed Rabi crop sowing and Kharif harvests.
Rural residents engaged in collecting grass and fodder for cattle have been forced indoors, awaiting cle...