Temperatures across Himachal Pradesh fell sharply on Wednesday due to widespread rain, with Hamirpur town recording the highest rainfall of 64 mm in the state, the weather office said."Most areas in the state witnessed rainfall on Friday with the minimum and maximum temperatures plummeting two to three degrees," Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office here, told IANS.Shimla, Kullu, Bilaspur, Dalhousie, Dharamsala, Kufri, Mandi, Narkanda, Palampur and Manali towns saw rainfall.A high alert was issued in Kullu district as the water level in the Beas river has increased."Continuous heavy rains during the past 24 hours has increased the water level in the Beas river and its tributaries, including the Parvati and the Tirthan," Kullu Deputy Commissioner Yunus Khan told IANS.He said people, especially tourists, have been advised not to venture near the river, even for whitewater rafting.Shimla recorded a maximum temperature of 19.8 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was 17 degrees.Likewise, Dharamsala saw a high of 27.6 degrees Celsius, while it was 18 degrees in Kalpa in Kinnaur district.Picturesque tourist resort Manali, which saw 28 mm of rain, was the coldest in the state with a low of 13.2 degrees Celsius.