Srinagar/Varmul, Feb 6: Kashmir Valley continued to receive the snowfall for the second consecutive day on Saturday.
 Officials of the Meteorological department said that the upper reaches of the Kashmir Valley received several feet of snow during the day. The Sadna Top in frontier district of  Kupwara received 3-feet, while Gurez received nearly 4-feet of snow. Drass and Machil also witnessed heavy snowfall.
 Snowfall ranging from 6-inches to 3-feet was reported from the high altitude areas, including hill resorts of Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Yousmarg.
 Famous ski resort of Gulmarg recorded 2-feet of snow, while its peripheral areas witnessed over 3-feet of snow. Tangmarg recorded one feet of snow due to which Tangmarg-Gulmarg road became slippery. Following which authorities suspended traffic for several hours on the 10-kilometere stretch, officials said.
 “Only those vehicles which were having 4x4 facility and having skid chains were allowed to move from Tangmarg to Gulmarg,” they added.
 The Pir-Panjal mountain range in south-west Kashmir also witnessed heavy snowfall.
 The summer capital, Srinagar, witnessed rains and snowfall throughout the day.
 The director of the Meteorological department, Sonam Lotus, advised people living in the upper reaches to remain cautious, as there were possibilities of avalanches hitting these areas.

NORTH KASHMIR
 Several parts of north Kashmir received moderate to heavy snowfall on Saturday bringing much needed respite to the people.
 “Snowfall has relieved us. It will enhance the chances of good fruit yield,” said Ghulam Rasool a fruit merchant.
 The Varmul town recorded about 6-inches of snow while Kandi areas witnessed nearly 2- feet of snow.
 Residents of the apple rich places like Rafiabad, Sopur and Wagoora areas were seen celebrating the season’s heaviest snowfall. “Definitely this is celebration time for us as the dry spell was giving us sleepless nights” said Haji Ghulam Rasool of Wagoora.
 However, snowfall led to the electricity failure. “Our villages have been reeling under darkness since yesterday,” residents of Rafiabad, Khanpora, Drangbal and other areas said.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 6 Feb 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 6 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Feb 2010 00:00:00 IST