Srinagar, Mar 23: Heavy rains continued to lash Kashmir on the second consecutive day on Monday with the Meteorological Department predicting more rains for the next 24 hours in the region. Traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway was suspended and no traffic will be allowed on Today.

From Sunday evening, the valley received moderate to heavy rains in plains while upper reaches received light to moderate snowfall.

As per MeT officials, the ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded seven to eight inches of fresh snowfall during the night while Pahalgam and Sonamarg recorded light snow till Monday evening.

Srinagar city witnessed water-logging in low lying areas due to which traffic jams were witnessed in several parts of the city.The month of March has witnessed continuous rain and snowfall in the upper reaches of Kashmir.

*Director MeT Srinagar centre, Sonam Lotus, told that prevailing weather conditions will continue for the next 24 hours in the region. He said widespread rain and snow are most likely to continue till Tuesday. “Heavy to very heavy rain and snow at scattered places of J&K is expected. There could be avalanches, mudslides, and water-logging at some places so people should remain alert,” Lotus said.*

“We are not expecting any improvement in prevailing weather conditions. From 24th March onwards there will likely be slight improvement in the weather,” he said.However, Lotus said, a fresh WD would originate from the Arabian Sea and approach the region through Afghanistan and Pakistan and hit the region on Saturday.

Srinagar recorded a maximum of 0.7 degrees during the night while Jammu recorded 3.5 degrees. Gulmarg was the coldest place in Kashmir as night temperature was recorded at minus 0.5 degrees.Although the month of February had witnessed a number of snow spells, it also saw an abrupt increase in maximum temperatures.

Following the rainy weather conditions, Srinagar-Jammu has been closed for traffic movement and there will be no traffic on Today, officials said.

As per the advisory issued by the traffic department, the highway was blocked for traffic movement at Panthayal on Monday afternoon and no vehicular movement allowed shall be allowed on March 23 in view of the weather forecast.“There was a possibility of landslides and shooting stones at several places amid continuous rainfall along the highway,” the advisory reads.

Meanwhile, Mughal road, connecting Poonch and Shopian districts, continues to remain closed due to snow accumulation.(CNS)