SRINAGAR: Most higher reaches of Kashmir Valley received moderate to heavy snowfall, while the plains were lashed by rains, disrupting vehicular movement in several stretches, officials said on Monday.
Several vehicles got stuck following heavy snowfall at Sinthan Top, after which teams of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Indian Army carried out a rescue operation on Sunday night to evacuate 214 stranded tourists and locals, officials said.
Officials said tourist resorts such as Gulmarg in Baramulla district, Doodhpathri in Budgam district, and Sonamarg in Ganderbal district received moderate snowfall.
The higher reaches, including Pir Ki Gali along the Mughal Road in Shopian district, the Zoji La axis, Gurez Valley in Bandipora district, Sadhna Top in Kupwara district, and Sinthan Top connecting Anantnag district with Kishtwar district received heavy snowfall.
Sadhna Top recorded over 12 inches of fresh snowfall, while Sinthan Top received around six inches, officials said.
The snowfall led to the closure of several key road links in the valley, including the Gurez–Bandipora road, the Sinthan–Kishtwar road and the Mughal Road, an alternate route connecting the Kashmir Valley with the Jammu region.
Vehicular movement was also suspended on the Srinagar–Leh Highway due to snow accumulation at Zoji La Pass.
Meanwhile, plains across the valley, including Srinagar, were lashed by intermittent rains that continued until Monday morning.
Srinagar recorded 15.9 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, while Pahalgam — which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra — received 15.7 mm of rainfall.
The wet weather brought down temperatures across the valley. Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 11.5°C on Sunday, nearly four degrees below normal, officials said, while other weather stations across the valley also reported below-normal temperatures.
The drop in temperatures broke the trend of unusually higher daytime temperatures recorded over the past few weeks.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast erratic weather conditions in the region until March 20. The department said there is a possibility of brief spells of light rain or snowfall in higher reaches at isolated places on Monday and Tuesday.
From March 18 to 20, the weather is expected to remain generally cloudy with intermittent light to moderate rain or snowfall at several places, it said.
The weather office also predicted another wet spell on March 24–25, with light rain or snowfall in higher reaches at scattered locations.
It further warned of possible thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40–50 kmph at a few places on Monday and between March 18 and 20.
The weather department has advised farmers to suspend farm operations until March 20 due to the prevailing weather conditions.
