Fresh snow, rain close Srinagar-jammu NH

SRINAGAR: Fresh snowfall in parts of north Kashmir and rains across the UT on Friday brought down the temperatures and closed the Srinagar-jammu National Highway. Some 6,000 trucks, most of them carrying fruits, have been left stranded on the 295-km long stretch.

“The highway was closed after there were landslides due to rains at Digdoll on Thursday evening. It remained closed on Friday as well. There are some 6,000 fruit trucks from Kashmir stranded on the highway. Subject to fair weather, we hope the road will be opened from Saturday onward,” said superintendent of police (traffic, rural) Muzaffar Shah.

Officials said north Kashmir’s ski resort in Gulmarg and parts of Ladakh received fresh snowfall in the morning after temperatures went sub-zero in the night. “Some 15 cm snow was recorded in Gulmarg, 2.5 cm in Drass and 13 cm in Zojila areas of Ladakh,” said an official of the Srinagar meteorological centre.

The rains, which had started on Thursday, were more widespread and drenched many parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

RAINS DRENCH UT

“The rainfall happened across Kashmir and Jammu regions. Highest rainfall of 45.7 mm was recorded in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district from Thursday evening to Friday morning and it continued throughout the day as well,” the official said.

The temperatures had gone sub-zero Thursday night in north Kashmir. In Kupwara, the mercury touched -0.3°C during the night; it was -0.2°C in Gulmarg. In Srinagar, minimum temperature was 2.6°C.