Mercury rises in Kashmir, snow in higher reaches

The minimum temperature in Kashmir marked an improvement due to the overcast sky even as some areas in the higher reaches of the Valley received snowfall overnight but the Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained open for traffic.
Some places in the higher reaches of Kashmir division received snowfall overnight, with the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg recording three inches of snow during the last 24 hours, an official of the Meteorological Department here said.
He said the south Kashmir resort of Pahalgam, which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded 5.5 cm of fresh snow. Some other areas also experienced rainfall.

However, the nearly 300-km long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the region's only all weather road connection with the rest of the country, was open for traffic, an official at the Traffic Control Room said.
He said one-way traffic from Jammu towards Srinagar was plying smoothly and no vehicle was allowed to ply in the opposite direction.
Rains and snow frequently cause landslides at few places along the highway, often leading to its closure.

Meanwhile, the night temperature in most parts of the Valley and Ladakh region improved, providing slight respite from the cold conditions.
The mercury in Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, settled above the freezing point at 0.9 degree Celsius, the Met Department official said.

He said the temperature in Qazigund, the gateway town to the Valley, also stayed above the freezing point at a low of 0.8 degree Celsius.
Kupwara, in north Kashmir, was another place were the minimum settled above the freezing point at 0.2 degree Celsius, the official said.
He said the minimum temperature in Gulmarg was minus 4.6 degrees Celsius, while other places in the Valley registered sub-zero night temperature but close to the freezing point.
Gulmarg was the coldest recorded place in the state.
Leh, in Ladakh region of the state, registered the low of minus 4.4 degrees Celsius, the official said.

He said there is possibility of light to moderate rainfall or snow at some places in the state over the next 24 hours and the weather is likely to remain cloudy over the next few days.