Fresh snowfall, rain in Kashmir

The higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall overnight while the plains were lashed by heavy rains even as the MeT office predicted widespread rains in the plains for the next three days.
Kupwara and the tourist resorts of Pahalgam and Gulmarg were among the areas which received fresh snowfall during the night and it was snowing when the last reports came in, an MeT official said.
The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir received eight inches of fresh snowfall till 8:30 AM. Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir received light snowfall of about 6 mm, while Kupwara town in north recorded rains and snow equivalent to 34.5 mm of rainfall, the official said.

There are also reports of moderate snowfall in other areas in the higher reaches of the Valley as well.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and other areas in the plains were lashed by rains overnight, the weatherman said.
He said the city recorded 6.9 mm of rains leading to water-logging in many areas. Qazigund town in south Kashmir recorded 3.2 mm of rainfall, the official said.

Many areas en route the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway also received rains forcing the authorities to close the 300-km arterial road, the only all weather road-link connecting Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country.

Though traffic was allowed on the highway in the morning, the authorities decided to close it after 12:30 PM due to heavy rains, a spokesman of the Traffic Department here said.
MeT office said there is also a possibility of moderate snowfall in the higher reaches of the Valley.