Dry Weather From

The weather department predicted an overall improvement from Wednesday with no rain or snowfall expected over the next fortnight.

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Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of Meteorology, forecast generally dry weather expected from October 9 to 17.

Traffic on Tuesday remained suspended on the Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar-Leh national highways, after multiple landslides and snow accumulation in the higher reaches triggered by heavy overnight rainfall.

Officials said that the wet weather led to a sharp drop in temperatures and widespread disruption of normal life.

A traffic department official said the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway - the only all-weather road connecting the Valley with the rest of the country - was closed for vehicular movement due to landslides and shooting stones at several locations between Udhampur and Banihal.

"Road clearance agencies have been pressed into service to make the road trafficable at the earliest. Efforts are on to clear the debris, and we are hopeful of restoring traffic by late afternoon," the official said. Vehicles bound for Srinagar were stopped at Nagrota in Jammu.

Traffic on the arterial highway has been regulated alternately from Srinagar and Jammu due to ongoing repair work after the road suffered extensive damage during record rainfall in August and September. Traffic was scheduled to ply from Jammu to Srinagar on Tuesday.

The 434-km Srinagar-Leh National Highway and the Mughal and Sinthan Top roads - alternative routes connecting the Valley with the rest of the country - were also closed due to snow accumulation, the official added. "People are advised not to travel until the roads are fully restored," he said.

The Zo-jila Pass along the Srinagar-Leh highway recorded about six inches of snowfall, while Peer Ki Gali on the Mughal Road and Sinthan Top in Kishtwar district saw three to four inches of snow. Snowfall was also reported from the upper reaches of Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch districts.