Kashmir Valley receives fresh snowfall

Srinagar, Feb 22: The upper reaches of the Kashmir Valley including ski resort Gulmarg received snowfall even as the rains lashed plains on Tuesday.

The Meteorological Department has predicted widespread light to moderate rain, snow and traces over Jammu and Kashmir over the next 24 hours.  Gulmarg and Tangmarg received 3-4 inches of snowfall while Shopian district received 2 cm of snow on Tuesday. Tourists in the ski resort of Gulmarg were delighted by the weather.  Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley received light rainfall since morning, disrupting normal life.  Many far flung roads including the ones in Kupwara-Keran, Karnah, Machil and Gurez have been closed as a precaution, a traffic police official said.  The minimum temperature in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, was a low 3.8 degrees Celsius, 2.9 degrees above normal during this period of the season. It also received 0.6 mm of rainfall till 0830 hours on Tuesday.  Gulmarg recorded minus 5 degrees Celsius. It also received 8 cm of snowfall till Tuesday morning.  The temperature in Qazigund on the Srinagar-Jammu highway was 2.2 degrees Celsius, at Kokernag 2.2 degrees and at Kupwara 2.2 degrees Celsius.  Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 2.4 degree Celsius.