The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed for traffic as light to moderate rains and snowfall continued sporadically in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
Traffic officials said that the national highway was blocked owing to landslides after the snowfall during the night.
“Traffic update: Jammu-Srinagar NH blocked due to mudslides and shooting stones at many places,” traffic police said in a tweet.
Besides the highway, Mughal road in south Kashmir, Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri Road, & Kishtwar-Sinthan road were also closed for vehicular movement in view of snow accumulation, the traffic police said.
The weather was overcast at most places of J&K with reports of widespread light to moderate rain and snow in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions.
The J&K centre of the Indian meteorological department said that 14.5 cm of snow was recorded in Kokernaq while Qazigund, the gateway into Kashmir from Jammu, experienced 13.2 cm snowfall till 8.30 in the morning.
The rains were more in the Jammu division with 50.6 mm recorded in Katra, followed by 40.8 mm in Batote and 32.8 mm in Bhaderwah.
“Expect a gradual decrease in precipitation from this evening and overall improvement from January 24 onwards till 29,” said Sonam Lotus, director of meteorological centre in J&K and Ladakh.
{{/usCountry}}“Expect a gradual decrease in precipitation from this evening and overall improvement from January 24 onwards till 29,” said Sonam Lotus, director of meteorological centre in J&K and Ladakh.
{{/usCountry}}He said that fog may develop in the plains of Jammu during January 26-28.
“There is no forecast of any major precipitation till ending January,’ he said.
Light snowfall and rains were experienced in Jammu and Kashmir during the night preceding Saturday as the weather office had predicted a fresh active western disturbance to affect J&K and adjoining areas from Saturday.
The lowest night temperature on Sunday in Kashmir was recorded in the northern ski resort of Gulmarg where the mercury dropped to -6.0°C.
The resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded -1.2°C.
The mercury settled at 0.4°C in summer capital Srinagar during the night while it was 0°C in south Kashmir’s Qazigund, the gateway into Kashmir from Jammu.
It was -0.7°C in Kokernag, -0.6°C in Konibal and 1.2°C in Kupwara.
The day temperatures on Saturday at all the above stations did not cross 5.8°C degrees with Gulmarg seeing lowest -2.2°C and Kupwara recording highest 5.8°C.
Kashmir is under the grip of Chilai Kalan, the valley’s harshest over 40-day winter period which started on December 21 and will be over by the end of January.