Rains sweep large parts of India, fresh snowfall in J&K

Srinagar: Land and air traffic was badly affected in Jammu and Kashmir as snowfall and rainfall continued for the second day, Monday.

The Kashmir valley and the hilly regions of the state witnessed fresh snowfall today. Srinagar received 2-3 inches of snow overnight.

In Jammu region, overnight rains paralysed normal life even as the Met Dept has predicted similar conditions for the next 24 hours in the state.

The arterial Jammu-Srinagar highway has been closed due to heavy snowfall and landslides.

The IMD has predicted moderate rainfall today across the country. Delhi too witnessed intermittent rains in the last 48 hours. The city received 17.2 mm of rain during the day, while the maximum temperature was recorded at 19 degrees Celsius, eight notches below normal, and minimum was 15.2 degrees Celsius, three above normal.

The IMD said the sudden change in weather has been caused by western disturbances.

"While a fresh western disturbance is affecting the hilly states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, a cyclonic circulation is causing rain in Haryana, Rajasthan, and adjoining areas. Moreover, another system is affecting Gujarat and adjoining areas of Rajasthan," said GP Sharma, VP, Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency.