There was snow, rain and mercury plummeting in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. Uttarakhand

Srinagar/Shimla/Dehradun: After a warm Sunday, temperatures dropped sharply in Kashmir Valley, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with snow and rain lashing many parts of the northern hilly areas on Monday.Snowfall was reported from Sadna Pass in Sonamarg and Kupwara districts of north Kashmir, while heavy rain was reported in Srinagar in the afternoon. Heavy snowfall in Pir ki Gali shut down the Mughal Highway connecting Kashmir to Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu, leaving around 100 vehicles stranded. Several stranded passengers took to social media to appeal to the government to rescue them.The Met department advised people to avoid boating and shikarak rides due to gusty winds and warned of the possibility of landslides and occasional rain in higher areas and on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.During the Orange Alert period in Himachal Pradesh, light to moderate rain was recorded at parts of Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur, Kangra, Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, Solan, Sirmaur and Shimla districts. Thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds were also reported in some areas. The Mercury plummeted amid multiple notices across the state.In Uttarakhand, Kedarnath received fresh snowfall in the afternoon even as the annual pilgrimage continued, with authorities keeping a close eye on weather conditions and pilgrim flow. Rudraprayag DM Vishal Mishra said the Char Dham yatra was going on smoothly despite helicopter services being disrupted due to adverse weather conditions.SP Niharika Tomar said coordination between the government, police and disaster response teams has been intensified and contingency measures have been taken in view of the weather alert. Police have stepped up traffic and crowd management along the route. Police said the entire route is monitored by cameras, allowing for rapid response and decision-making to ensure minimal disruption to the pilgrimage.The IMD has predicted thunderstorms with lightning, hail, heavy rainfall and wind gusts (40 to 50 kilometers per hour) at isolated places in several districts including Dehradun, Haridwar, Thierry, Pauri, Nainital, Champarvat and Udham Singh Nagar on Tuesday.