SRINAGAR: Kashmir received a brief bout of snow on Tuesday leading to closure of Srinagar-Jammu highway.
Both plains as well as hilly areas were blanketed with a fresh layer of snow that started previous night.
Fresh snow and rains occurred along the highway leading to closure of the road for vehicular traffic.
About eight inches of fresh snowfall was accumulated on both sides of the Jawahar Tunnel till 10 am, leaving the road slippery. On Banihal-Ramban stretch, rains triggered shooting stones at several places.
Inspector General of Traffic Police T Namgayal said that efforts are on to clear snow at the tunnel.
About 1500 vehicles lay stranded on the highway. A traffic police official said traffic on the strategic highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was suspended from both Srinagar and Jammu in view of the fresh snowfall and rains all along the stretch.
Officials said snowfall was recorded in high altitude areas of Jammu region including the famous hill resort of Patnitop in Udhampur district.
Meanwhile, weather conditions are likely going to remain dry in Kashmir till January 27 with little chances of rain and snowfall at isolated places.
Director Metrological Department Sonum Lotus told Kashmir Reader that there are no changes of any rainfall for coming days and day temperatures will witness significant improvement.
“Night temperatures will drop further. But overall weather is going to remain dry,” he added.
The weatherman had predicted a spell of fresh snowfall in Kashmir, upper reaches of Jammu and isolated places of Kargil district in the Union Territory of Ladakh for two days beginning Tuesday.
The highway town of Banihal in Ramban and Bhaderwah in Doda district received 6.5 cm of snowfall till 8.30 am followed by 5.3 cm in Batote, also in Ramban along the highway, which was also the coldest recorded place in Jammu region with a minimum of minus 2.1 degrees Celsius, an official of the MET department said.
He said Jammu city recorded a low of 8.2 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night’s 7.6 degrees Celsius.

Reader correspondent