Many places in Kashmir received intermittent snowfall and rains for the second day on Tuesday, even as the weather office said the wet spell is likely to continue.
Most of the higher reaches of the valley received moderate to heavy snowfall over the past 36 hours, while many areas in the plains experienced light snowfall and rains, a MET official said.
He said intermittent snowfall and rains continued at many places on Tuesday.
The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded seven inches of fresh snowfall during the night, while Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir recorded six inches of snow, the official said.
There are reports of snowfall in other areas in the higher reaches, including the Sonamarg-Zojila axis on the Srinagar-Leh road which connects the valley with Ladakh, he said.
The road was closed for traffic on Monday.
The MET Office has said intermittent light to moderate rain/snow, with isolated heavy falls in the higher reaches, will continue till Wednesday afternoon.
The weather is likely to improve afterwards and stay dry for a few days from Thursday.
Traffic suspended
The traffic on Bhaderwah-Chamba and Bhaderwah-Pathankot highways, connecting Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district with Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, was suspended on Tuesday following heavy snowfall around Padri Gali and Chattergala passes, officials said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner, Bhaderwah, Rakesh Kumar said the vehicular movement was stopped on the Bhaderwah-Chamba Highway after 1.5 feet to 2 feet snow accumulated on a 22-km stretch between Khanni Top and Khundi Maral during the past 24 hours.
Bhaderwah-Pathankot was also closed after nearly three feet of snow was recorded in Chattergala pass, the official said, adding that a 35-km road stretch from Thanthera to Sarthal remained buried under snow.
The continuous snowfall is hampering the efforts to restore the highways, Kumar said.
He said the Roads and Buildings Department and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) have kept their men and machines on standby and once the weather improves, the road clearance operation would be launched in full swing to ensure early restoration of these roads. “We are trying our best to keep both Bhaderwah-Chamba and Bhadarwah-Pathankot interstate roads functional as long as the weather permits,” the additional deputy commissioner added.