Kashmir weather: Gulmarg, Sonamarg witness heavy snowfall; Srinagar-Jammu highway closed due to mudslides

Several parts of Kashmir valley received fresh snowfall on Tuesday, with higher reaches of the valley witnessing bountiful snowfall over the past 48 hours.

Srinagar, which has been lashed by rain since Sunday, witnessed moderate snowfall in the early part of the day (Tuesday), said a PTI report, citing a weather department official.

Heavy snowfall was reported from Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Shopian, Gurez, Machil and other hilly areas of the Kashmir valley.

The snowfall was also accompanied by the gusty winds which resulted in damage to several houses in the valley.

Few videos of tin roofs being blown away by strong winds have gone viral on social media.

According to the report, Gulmarg - a skiing resort in Baramulla district, which is scheduled to host 4th Khelo India Winter Games from Wednesday, has received around 2.5 feet of fresh snowfall over the past 48 hours.

More than 4 feet of snow has accumulated at Sadhna Top (five feet), Razdan Top (five feet) Tulail-Gurez (four feet) and Sonamarg (4.5 feet).

Srinagar witnessed 29 mm rainfall over the past 24 hours while Qazigund received 76.8 mm rainfall. Pahalgam received 40.1 mm rainfall, Kupwara (41.9 mm) and Kokernag (26.0 mm) over the same period.

The Jammu region was also lashed by the rainfall. The Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed due to mudslides at several places in Ramban district.

On Sunday, the snowfall had closed several roads connecting the main valley to remote areas like Machil in Kupwara district, Gurez in Bandipora district and Sonamarg in Ganderbal district.

Earlier, the weather department had forecast moderate to heavy precipitation in the form of snow or rains across the Kashmir valley till February 21.

Himachal Pradesh also witnessed snowfall on Tuesday. Moderate to heavy rain also lashed almost the entire state.

At least 228 roads, including four national highways, were closed due to the snowfall in Himachal Pradesh.

(With inputs from agencies)