SHIMLA - Woollens have been taken out in Himachal Pradesh as the mercury dropped sharply because of moderate to heavy rain that continued in the region for the third consecutive day Friday.

“Widespread rainfall and snow in the hill state since Tuesday night has brought down the temperature considerably,” Manmohan Singh, local Met office director, told IANS Friday.

The minimum temperature, ranging from 6 to 10 degrees Celsius, is below average, he said.

“While tribal Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts experienced more spells of snow Thursday night, the mid and low hills saw moderate to heavy rain,” Singh added.

Shimla has recorded more than 150 mm of rain so far, while Pachhad in Sirmaur district saw more than 300 mm of rain, he added.

The Met office has predicted heavy rain for various places in the state for the weekend.

Meanwhile, rains have meant a loss for apple farmers in the state. This is because landslides in tribal areas have hampered the movement of vehicles carrying the crop to various markets.

“Most of the trucks carrying apples are stranded in tribal and remote areas due to massive landslides. If the blockades continue for some more days, it can affect the quality of apples,” Vidya Stokes, a senior Congress leader who is also a prominent apple grower, said.