Most high altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh and many parts of Kashmir experienced moderate to heavy snowfall on Monday. Downstream areas were lashed by rains coupled with high intensity winds.
There were also reports of mild snowfall from the tourist resorts of Kufri, Narkanda and the higher peaks of the Mashobara suburb near the capital town. The higher reaches of Kinnaur and the Lahaul-Spiti district experienced moderate to heavy snowfall, the Met Department said. Vehicular traffic was disrupted at many places in Shimla due to 10-12 cm snowfall on the roads.
Thanks to constant traffic jams, many bus routes were diverted. The lower reaches of the State experienced rainfall and the weather remained mainly cloudy throughout the day. More than 10 cm of snow has gathered in the Solang Nallah near Manali.
The mercury was as low as minus nine degrees in Bharmaur and minus five degrees in Keylong and Kalpa regions of the tribal districts. Shimla had a minimum temperature of five degrees and a maximum of 13 degrees on Monday.
Quite a few tourists from the nearby plains were seen rushing to the State in the evening after the news of fresh snowfall came in. Several schools in the main town were reopened on Monday after a week.
The Met Department has warned of a hailstorm on the foothills of Himachal Pradesh and heavy rain or snowfall in the higher reaches.
Residents of the Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar, woke up to a white cover of snow on Monday. Nearly three inches of snow accumulated in Srinagar city while Gulmarg and other parts of north Kashmir were buried under one-and-a-half feet of snow. The snowfall was preceded by heavy rainfall in most parts of the Valley on Sunday, with Srinagar recording 46.3 mm of rainfall.
The Divisional Administration of Kashmir has announced that schools up to class VIII will remain closed for two days. Schools in the Valley reopened on March 3 after three months of winter vacation.
(With inputs from PTI)
