Jammu-Srinagar highway closed after fresh snowfall

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed to traffic on Friday following fresh snowfall and landslides in the region, officials said.

"No vehicle will be allowed to move either from Jammu city or Srinagar city on the highway today (Friday). We will clear vehicles stranded on the highway," a traffic department officer said.

The step was taken after snowfall in Batote and Banihal areas of the over 300-km long highway and rain triggered landslides in Shir Bibi sector in the Ramban district of the Jammu region.

Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Banihal, Pir Ki Kali in Shopian, Gulmarg and Kupwara also witnessed snowfall.

Srinagar city received snow during the night. The Trikuta hills in the Jammu region, where the Viashno Devi shrine is located, also received fresh snowfall during the night.

Other major road links in the Jammu region, including the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road, were closed for traffic on Friday.

The minimum temperature was 6.6 degrees Celsius in Jammu city, 6.4 in Katra town, 4.2 in Udhampur town, fractionally higher than the freezing point at 0.2 degree Celsius in Batote, minus 0.4 in Banihal, minus 0.7 in Bhaderwah, a weather official said.

In the Kashmir Valley, the minimum temperature recorded was minus 0.8 in Srinagar, minus 2.4 in Pahalgam, and minus 9.6 in Gulmarg.

leh town recorded a minimum temperature of 6.0 degrees Celsius below the freezing point, while it was minus 9.0 degrees Celsius in Kargil town.

The official said the weather was likely to improve from Friday afternoon.