Season's first snowfall in Kashmir

Higher reaches in Kashmir valley, including picturesque Pahalgam and Sonamarg, today received season's first snowfall ushering in wintry conditions.
    
To the sheer delight of tourists and locals alike, it started snowing in famous hill resort Pahalgam, some 100km from here, at around 5:30pm. Upper reaches of the resort, located in South Kashmir, also received heavy snowfall overnight which dipped mercury
sharply, the Met office said.
    
Pahalgam, where the sky remained overcast throughout the day, experienced the coldest night of the season with the minimum plunging to two-degree celsius. Scenic Sonamarg, nearly 80 kms from here, also donned a white mantle with the dumping of five to six inches of snow.
    
The Met office said snowfall in upper reaches during this time of the year is not an unusual phenomenon. The minimum in Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and
Kashmir, dipped to 3.8 and the maximum to 20.4 degree celsius.
    
Picnic spots Qazigund and Kokernag in South Kashmir also recorded lows of two and 5.1 degree celsius respectively. Kupwara in North Kashmir registered the highest day temperature with the mercury settling at 21 degrees.