Shimla, April 10 -- The capital city of the north Indian hill state Himachal Pradesh witnessed a sharp drop in temperatures over the past 24 hours, with the minimum temperature plunging to 3.6 degrees Celsius, marking the coldest April night in nearly 46 years.

According to data from the Meteorological Centre in Shimla, the unusually low night temperature broke a decades-old record. The previous comparable low for April was recorded in 1979, when the mercury had dipped to around 3.4 degrees Celsius.

Speaking to ANI, the Head of the IMD, Himachal Pradesh, Shobhit Katiyar, said that persistent rainfall and snowfall activity over the past two to three days led to a significant fall in temperatures across the state.

"In Shimla, the maximum...