White blanket covers Mahabaleshwar.

10 January 2017

PUNE: Several tourists and residents of Mahabaleshwar, located about 120km from Pune in the Western Ghat ranges in Satara district, woke up to a rare sight as frozen dew drops threw a white blanket across the popular hill station .According to meteorologists, the dew-point temperature around the popular Venna lake and Lingmala sites in the hill station was -1.6 degrees Celsius, which may have caused the phenomenon. The precincts of the Venna lake as well as the various peaks, valleys and strawberry gardens, which Mahabaleshwar is famed for, wore a snowy look.At many places, the white cover was thick.

Mahabaleshwar, which served as a summer capital of the erstwhile Bombay prov ince, stands at a height of 1,439m (4,721ft) above sea level and is frequented by tourists from across the country . It is also close to the Panchagni hill station. Incidentally, the mini mum temperature recorded in India Meteorological Department (IMD) authorities told this reporter that the phenomenon was different from actual snowfall as is being witnessed in the higher ridges of the northern states like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. "Compared to these northern states, the temperature in Mahabaleshwar is too warm  Mahabaleshwar on Sunday was 12.6 degrees C, which was higher than the 9.7 degrees C recorded in Pune.