Rain accompanied by high velocity cold winds today lashed various places in North India claiming four lives in Himachal Pradesh, even as the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed due to heavy snowfall and landslides.
"Heavy rain and snowfall claimed four lives in Himachal Pradesh which witnessed the wettest day ever in March while several areas were cut off rest of the state and normal life in tribal areas was paralysed," a police official in Shimla said.
According to the MeT office, "The tribal belt of Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Pangi and Bharmaur and higher hills in Chamba and Sirmaur were cut off from rest of the state due to blockade of roads following heavy snowfall.Schools in Kinnaur, Lahaul and spiti districts have been closed till March 9 while schools in Shimla would remain closed till March 5."
While the students appearing for CBSE board examination in Delhi and adjoining areas, had tough time reaching their centres due to vehicular traffic, the annual board exam for class XII and university examination in Jammu and Kashmir were postponed in view of the inclement weather.
"The continuous rain and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir have forced the closure of the Jammu Srinagar national highway" a senior traffic police official in Jammu said.
Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education and university authorities said that a new date will be notified soon for the postponed examination.
The MeT department has predicted that the Valley would continue to experience "erratic" weather but there would not be heavy falls from tonight for the coming few days.
Gulmarg ski-resort in north Kashmir's Baramulla district recorded fresh snowfall of 42 cm till, recording a minimum temperature of minus 3.2 degrees Celsius.
While Srinagar recorded 8 cm of snowfall during the night along with rains but heavy falls continued in the city since the morning, the minimum temperature settled at 0.4 degree Celsius.
The mercury in Leh, the frontier town in Ladakh region, settled at minus 0.9 degree Celsius, the official said. The nearby Kargil town recorded a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius and was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir, a MeT official said.
The national capital received 60.4 mm rainfall.
"The minimum temperature was recorded at two notches above the normal at 14.8 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature settled five notches below the season's average at 22.1 degrees Celsius," a MeT official said.
Across Uttarakhand, normal life was affected as incessant rains lashed the state for over 24 hours while the higher reaches of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi districts receiving snowfall, bringing the state under cold conditions.
