Weather likely to worsen in J&K

The higher reaches in Jammu and Kashmir are likely to receive snowfall from Saturday onwards.

Weather department officials said in summer capital Srinagar on Saturday that a western disturbance is likely to hit the region on Saturday evening.

"Two western disturbances in quick succession are likely to affect J&K and adjoining areas from today evening to April 4, 2015 with occasional gaps," Sonam Lotus, director of local Met office, told IANS here.

A western disturbance over north Pakistan and adjoining areas of the state is expected to affect the Western Himalayan region and bring snowfall in higher reaches in Kashmir & Jammu regions and at a few places in Ladakh region in the next 24 hours to Sunday morning, he said.

The weather office said the disturbances will mainly affect the state on March 29 and April 1 and 3.

The state administration issued an advisory on Saturday, asking people intending to undertake journey on Srinagar-Jammu highway to exercise caution due to adverse weather conditions.

"These weather conditions can trigger landslides and flash floods in vulnerable areas of the state like the national Highway", the advisory said.

During this period, the bad weather may disrupt the rail and air traffic as well, the advisory says.

Meanwhile, the weather office said there will be significant decrease in day temperatures and slight rise in night temperature in the state during the next two-three days.

In summer capital Srinagar, which recorded light rain on Saturday morning, the overnight temperature went up by several degrees due to overcast conditions and remained at 12 degrees Celsius.

"Pahalgam and Gulmarg recorded a minimum temperature of 4.2 and 4.8 degree Celsius respectively," a weather official said.

In Kargil and Leh towns of the Ladakh region, the mercury dipped to minus 7 and minus 0.7 degrees Celsius respectively.

The overnight minimum temperature in Jammu city was 17 degrees Celsius.

A western disturbance is a tropical storm system in the Mediterranean Sea that brings rain and snowfall in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.