SRINAGAR: The Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for traffic for the third consecutive day on Sunday following landslides at some places, with Kashmir Valley receiving fresh snowfall overnight even more wet weather has been forecast over the next 24 hours.
“The Srinagar-Jammu highway is closed for traffic today due to landslides at various places and fresh snowfall,” an official of the Traffic Control Room told PTI.
He said landslides have occurred at many places along the nearly 300-km highway, the only all weather road link connecting Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country.
The official said many vehicles are stranded along the highway and would only be allowed to proceed further once the debris is cleared.
“The men and machinery are on the job. Once the debris is cleared, the stranded vehicles will be allowed to proceed further, subject to weather conditions,” he said.
The higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall overnight with the plains witnessing a mix of rains and snow.
The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district received 11 inches of fresh snowfall during the night, an official of the Meteorological Department said.
He said the minimum temperature recorded at the resort was minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest recorded place in the state.
Kupwara town, also in north Kashmir, received eight cm of fresh snow, the official said, adding the town registered a low of 0.1 degree Celsius.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, registered a low of minus 0.7 degree Celsius and recorded snowfall and 61.6 mm rainfall.
He said the famous hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, registered the minimum temperature of 0.2 degree Celsius and recorded 48.2 mm of a mix of rain and snow.
The official said the night temperature at Qazigund settled at a low of 0.2 degree Celsius while Kokernag town registered a low of minus 0.3 degree Celsius.
Qazigund and Kokernag recorded 82.8 mm and 41.2 mm of a mixture of rain and snow respectively, the official said.
He said Leh town in Ladakh region registered a low of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius.
The MET Office has forecast widespread rains or snowfall over the state today, while it has predicted fairly widespread rains and snow tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a medium danger avalanche warning was again issued today for some avalanche-prone slopes of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Chandigarh-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) issued the warning that would be valid for the next 24 hours starting at 5 pm.
A SASE advisory here said that a “medium danger” warning is in place for avalanche prone slopes in Kupwara, Bandipora, Anantnag, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Budgam, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar and Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
“People are advised not to move in avalanche prone areas and further they are also advised to keep clearing the snow deposition from rooftop of their houses/bunkers to avoid damages,” it said.
The SASE also said that very light to light snowfall is likely to occur until tomorrow at some places in Jammu and Kashmir.
Among other places which had received fresh snowfall until this morning included Gulmarg (31 cm) and Drass (30 cm) in Jammu & Kashmir.