SRINAGAR: Upper reaches in the Kashmir valley besides tourist resorts of Pahalgam and Sonamarg received fresh snowfall while plains, including Srinagar, continued to shiver due to bone chilling cold though the minimum temperature at some places was above normal.
A Met department spokesman has predicted dry and chilly weather during the next 24 hours in Jammu and Kashmir.
Leh and Kargil in Ladakh region freezes at minus 11.3 degree and minus 11.5 degree respectively. Several inches of fresh snowfall was received early this morning, a hotel owner told UNI over phone from Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir.
Roof and tree tops besides fields had turned white as people woke up this morning, he said adding the sky was now cloudy.
Due to fresh snowfall the minimum temperature witnessed considerable drop. Against minus 2.1 degree minimum temperature it was minus 6.3, more than two notches below normal.
However Panjterni, Sheshnag, Mahaguns, Pisso top and Chandanwari in Pahalgam valley received moderate to heavy snowfall during the past 24 hours.
The upper heights in Deksum, Ahrabal, Pir-ki-Gali and Shopian also received fresh snowfall.
About 10 inches of fresh snowfall was experienced at Sonmarg, a tourist resort in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal.
The upper reaches in Gulmarg, including Kongdori, Khilanmarg and Affarwat, the highest skiing point also received fresh snowfall, an official of tourism department said adding it was cloudy.
The ski resort recorded coldest night of the season after the minimum temperature dropped and settled at minus 11.4 degree, freezing water bodies. The earlier coldest was minus 11 degree recorded on December 21.
The other heights in the north Kashmir, including areas near the Line of Control (LoC) also experienced fresh snowfall.
After witnessing above normal minimum temperature, people in the Srinagar woke up to a cloudy and chilly morning. Against yesterdays 0.1 degree, the minimum temperature in the city was minus 0.3 degree.
The coldest so far was recorded on December 21 when it dropped to minus 5.6 degree, freezing water bodies and taps.
Qazigund witnessed some improvement in the minimum temperature while it dropped further at Kupwara and Kokernag.
Mughal Road Closed
The historic 86-km-long Mughal road was closed due to fresh snowfall and slippery road conditions while the highway, linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was still through despite snow and rain.
Dozens of villages in the north Kashmir also remained cut off with their respective district headquarters due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions.
There was several inches of fresh snowfall and slippery conditions forcing authorities to suspend traffic on the Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch.
He said due to considerable cold following of drop in the mercury and icy cold winds, snow on the road was frozen resulting in slippery conditions. For precautionary measure traffic was suspended today, he said adding traffic will be resumed only if there is improvement in the weather and snow melts.
Meanwhile, large number of vehicles are stranded on both sides of the Pir-Ki-Gali on the historic road.
However, despite light snow and rain, the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was through for both way traffic with some restrictions due to slippery road conditions. Traffic official said that from Jammu (Nagrota) Srinagar bound passenger vehicles will be allowed to move only between 0600 hrs to 1300 hrs while heavy vehicles will be permitted only between 0630 hrs to 1130 hrs. No Srinagar bound passenger vehicle will be permitted to cross Udhampur after 1430 hrs while no heavy vehicle will be permitted after 1330 hrs.
Similarly from Qazigund in south Kashmir, light motor vehicles shall be permitted to move towards Jammu only between 0830 hrs to 1500 hrs while heavy vehicles shall be permitted only between 0900 hrs to 1400 hrs.
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