Cold conditions, rain and snow hit multiple northern states.
The strategic Srinagar-Jammu highway was closed on Thursday due to fresh snowfall in the Qazigund-Bannihal sector of the highway. "Keeping in view the safety of passengers, traffic on the highway has been closed," Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, Senior Superintendent of Police Traffic (Rural) in Kashmir, told IANS.
"Intending travellers are advised to contact traffic control rooms before undertaking their journey," Shah said. The state has been experiencing light rain and snow over the past 24 hours.
At minus 9.5 degrees Celsius, Gulmarg was the coldest in the Kashmir Valley, while Srinagar recorded 0.1 and Pahalgam minus 1.5 as the minimum temperatures. Jammu city recorded 7.9 degrees Celsius, Katra town 6.5, Batote minus 1.5, Bannihal 0.5 and Bhaderwah 0.1 as the minimum temperatures on Thursday.
Cold wave intensifies in Uttarakhand
In Uttarakhand, a cold wave intensified on Wednesday after a fresh bout of snowfall and rains, an official said. Rains in the plains and snowfall in the hill tracts of the state have caused a fall in the temperature in most places.
Intermittent rains in the state capital since morning and gutsy winds have forced people to stay indoors. Snowfall has been reported from Kedarnath, Hemkund, Gomukh, Badrinath, Surkanda and Nag Tibba, near the hill station of Mussourie. Nelang valley has also received heavy snowfall, an official of the Regional Meteorological Office said.
Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts have received some rainfall while Gangotri, Yamunotri, Auli and Harshil have witnessed snow. Rains have also been reported from Garhwal and there is overcast sky in Almorah, Bajpur, Ranikhet, Nainital and Pithoragarh. Warning has been issued for moderate rainfall and heavy snowfall in the next 24 hours.
Rain and snow across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh
On Wednesday, maximum temperatures across Punjab and Haryana dipped following light rain in some parts of both states and snowfall in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh. Chandigarh and its surrounding areas experienced light rainfall since early Wednesday. The rains continued intermittently through the day.
The maximum temperature recorded in Chandigarh on Wednesday was 16.3 degrees Celsius, six degrees below normal. Patiala city in Punjab saw a high of 13.6 degrees, eight degrees below normal. The city received 25 mm of rainfall. Amritsar and Ludhiana in Punjab recorded highs of 16.1 and 18.3 degrees respectively, five and three degrees below normal respectively.
In Haryana, Karnal town recorded a high of 18 degrees, four degrees below normal, while Ambala and Hisar recorded highs of 18.2 and 18.3 degrees respectively. The Met department has predicted cloudy sky in the next 24 hours followed by dry weather in the region.
Meanwhile, in Himachal Pradesh, the hill stations of Shimla, Manali, Narkanda and Kufri got snowfall on Wednesday.
