Fresh snowfall in higher reaches of Kashmir, Met predicts rain in plains over next 24 hours

Kashmir's higher regions were blanketed in fresh snowfall, delighting tourists at Gulmarg while the rest of the valley braced for predicted rain.

Higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Tuesday as night temperatures rose due to overcast conditions in the valley, officials said.

People make their way through a snow-covered area in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. (PTI)

Hundreds of tourists in Gulmarg resort in the Baramulla district of north Kashmir were pleasantly surprised as they woke up to snowfall in the early hours.

Overcast conditions prevailed in the rest of the valley as the meteorological department has forecast light to moderate rains over the next 24 hours.

The cloudy skies, however, pushed the night temperature higher as Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of 3.3 degrees Celsius on Monday night, 3.1 degrees higher than the seasonal average, the officials said.

They said Gulmarg, the popular ski resort, was the coldest in Kashmir with a minimum temperature of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius.

The mercury in Pahalgam, a tourist resort in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp for the Amarnath yatra, settled at minus 0.4 degrees Celsius, the officials added.

Among other places, Qazigund's minimum temperature settled at 2.6 degrees, Kokernag recorded a low of minus 1.3 degrees Celsius, and Kupwara's minimum temperature settled at zero degrees Celsius, the Met said.