Traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway, which was suspended as a precautionary measure since Monday due to bad weather, resumed on Tuesday, while the Mughal Road remained closed. The Meteorological department has predicted light rains/snow at scattered places in the next 24 hours.
Officials said minor landslides occurred at a few places, including Hingli-Ramsu and Sherbeebi along Ramban-Banihal stretch of Srinagar-Jammu highway, during the night but were cleared by the agencies concerned. The snow clearance operation, they said, was also carried out on both sides of the Jawahar Tunnel, which got over six inches of snowfall.
Officials said that over two feet of snow had accumulated at Peer Ki Gali area along the Mughal road, while heavy snowfall was also reported in Zojila pass along the Srinagar-Leh highway.
An official said there is no chance of the road opening for the next three to four days.
“There can be light rain/snowfall at scattered places in state during next 24 hours,” a MeT official said, adding that weather has started to improve.
MeT officials said that night temperatures dropped across Kashmir but stayed above the freezing point at most places even though the Valley witnessed snow and rains on Monday.
MeT officials summer capital, Srinagar recorded a low of 1.6 degrees Celsius on Monday night.
They said Qazigund — the gateway town to the Valley — recorded a low of 1.6 degrees Celsius, while nearby Kokernag town recorded a low of 0 degrees Celsius.
Kupwara in north Kashmir saw the mercury settling at 0.2 degrees Celsius, the officials said.
They said Pahalgam health resort recorded night temperature of minus 2.0 degrees Celsius, a drop of 1.7 degrees compared to the previous night.
Gulmarg, the famous skiing resort in north Kashmir, saw the mercury dipping due to clear skies following the snowfall on Monday and recorded a minimum of minus 7.6 degrees Celsius—the lowest in the Valley—compared to the minus 6.0 degrees Celsius a night before.