Shimla, Jul 12 (IANS): After a six-day dry spell, the hills of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday experienced fresh rains with the meteorological department forecasting moderate to heavy rainfall over the rest of the week.

The state has recorded 13 per cent deficit rains during the southwest monsoon, which means farms and orchards have not received enough water, officials said.

Most of Himachal Pradesh has been experiencing rainfall since early Tuesday, an official of the meteorological department here told IANS.

He said there could be heavy rain in low and mid hills of the state until Friday.

The state received 162 mm of rain against the normal average of 185 mm during the monsoon till Monday, a shortfall of 13 per cent, said the official.

The state capital Shimla recorded a temperature of 16.7 degrees Celsius, Kalpa in Kinnaur district 15.6 degrees Celsius, Dharamsala in Kangra district 16 degrees Celsius, and tourist resort Manali in Kullu district 16.6 degrees Celsius.