Shimla, Jan 7 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh's popular tourist destinations of Shimla and Manali shivered as temperatures plummetted below the freezing point Monday despite a sunny day, a weatherman said here.

"It was a bright, sunny day across the state, but temperatures remained below the freezing point in most places," an official of the meteorological office here told IANS.

While state capital Shimla recorded a low of minus 0.6 degree Celsius, the season's lowest in the town, and the minimum temperature at tourist resort Manali was 4 degrees below the freezing point.

These towns Sunday saw the night temperature at 0.9 degree and minus 3 degrees Celsius respectively.

Keylong, headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti, was the coldest at a minimum temperature of minus 10.9 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 6.2 degrees in Kalpa in Kinnaur district, minus 3.6 degrees in Solan and minus 0.9 degree in Sundernagar.

But Dharamsala was still warm at a minimum of 4.2 degrees.

The maximum temperature in Shimla and Dharamsala stayed at 10.2 degrees and 15.8 degrees Celsius respectively due to sunny skies.

The Met Office said the weather would remain dry in the next few days.