J&K: Higher reaches receive fresh snowfall, rains lash plains

Higher reaches including Gulmarg recorded fresh snowfall while the plains of Jammu and Kashmir received rains on Saturday.

A meteorological department official told Srinagar based news gathering agency the fresh snowfall in the higher reaches resulting in appreciable drop in the mercury.

He said snowfall was reported from Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Gurez besides higher reaches of Kupwara, Handwara areas of valley.

The rest of the valley, including Srinagar city, has been lashed by moderate to heavy rains since Friday afternoon.

The official further said that widespread moderate to heavy rain/snow is expected in Jammu and Kashmir till the afternoon of March 3 with its peak activity on March 2.

“The above system is most likely to cause heavy to very heavy rain/snow over Pirpanjal Range of Jammu division and middle & higher reaches of Kashmir Division (Anantnag-Pahalgam, Kulgam, Sinthan Pass, Shupiyan-Pir Ki Gali, Sonamarg-Zojila, Bandipora-Razdan Pass, Gulmarg and Kupwara-Sachna Pass).

The official also urged the people in snow bound areas to avoid venturing into sloppy and Avalanche prone areas.