Fresh snowfall in Kashmir, Srinagar-Jammu highway closed

SRINAGAR - The strategic Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed due to slippery road conditions as the Kashmir Valley received fresh snowfall Friday morning.

The minimum temperature was 0.4 degree Celsius in summer capital Srinagar Friday while it was minus 20 degrees in Leh and minus 15.8 in Kargil town of the Ladakh region, the weather office said.

The traffic authorities said here the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway No.1A was closed to traffic in the morning as a precautionary measure to avoid accidents and untoward incidents.

Road connectivity to the border towns of Keran and Tangdhar in north Kashmir Kupwara district was snapped Friday morning after over two feet of snow piled up on the Sadna Top connecting the border towns with the rest of the valley.

The highway has been closed because of highly slippery road conditions. The situation will be reviewed later in the day, a senior traffic official said here.

A western disturbance (WD) is active here and we are expecting moderate to heavy snowfall across the valley during the next 48 hours, said R.L. Pandita, assistant director at the weather office here.

The minimum recorded in the north Kashmir ski resort of Gulmarg was minus 8 degrees while it was minus 4 degrees in Pahalgam. The minimum temperature in winter capital Jammu was 10.5 degrees, which is five degrees above normal.”

In Srinagar also, the minimum today was two degrees above normal, Pandita said.

The rise in the night temperatures has brought relief for locals who had been battling harsh chilly weather for the last 25 days here.