New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Breaking a long dry spell, plain areas in Kashmir received the season's first snowfall on Thursday. In other northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Delhi cold weather conditions prevailed while rain lashed parts of south India.

While there was no snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar, the plains of Shopian, Pulwama, and Baramulla, as well as the upper areas of Anantnag, Budgam, and Bandipora received light snowfall.

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The higher reaches of the valley, including the tourist resorts of Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Tangmarg, Gurez and the Zojila Pass, witnessed light to moderate snowfall.

Due to accumulation of snow along the Zojila Pass, the Srinagar-Leh highway was closed for traffic, while the Bandipora-Gurez road and Mughal Road were also shut, officials said.

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Delhi recorded its coldest December day in the last three years on Thursday as the mercury dropped to 4.5 degrees Celsius. Cold wave conditions were observed at isolated places in Delhi, including Ayanagar and Pusa, where the temperatures dropped to 3.8 and 3.2 degrees Celsius respectively.

In Himachal Pradesh, traces of snow were witnessed on Gondla in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti in the past 24 hours.

The high altitude and tribal areas continued to reel under cold waves. Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti was coldest on Wednesday night, recording a low of minus 11.3 degree Celsius.

Una was hottest during the day with a maximum temperature of 23.6 degree Celsius.

The Shimla weather station has predicted dry weather in the state for the next one week.

Rajasthan continued to reel under intense cold weather conditions, with Fatehpur town in Sikar district recording the lowest night temperature of 0.1 degrees Celsius, according to the MeT department.

The mercury dipped to 1 degrees Celsius in Sikar city, while Churu and Karauli recorded a low of of 2.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast similar cold conditions, with the possibility of intense cold in some areas over the next 24 hours.

Haryana's Hisar reeled under severe cold with mercury plunging to 1.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday as biting chill prevailed at many places in the state and neighbouring Punjab.

Chandigarh, the common capital of Haryana and Punjab, also experienced a cold night, recording a temperature of 4.7 degrees Celsius.

Karnal in Haryana recorded a minimum of 3.6 degrees Celsius, Rohtak 4.4 degrees Celsius, Sirsa 4 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, Punjab's Faridkot recorded a low of 3 degrees Celsius, Pathankot 4.3 degrees Celsius, Bathinda 4.6 degrees Celsius and Patiala 4.5 degrees Celsius.

As biting cold was witnessed in north India, rain lashed southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

Widespread rains lashed parts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, prompting authorities to declare a holiday for schools in Chennai and many other districts.

With the people yet to come to terms with the devastation caused in 14 districts across Tamil Nadu by Cyclone Fengal, the intense rain throughout the state inundated several areas and submerged standing crops in the districts.

Following the heavy rainfall warning issued by the IMD, six NDRF teams have been alerted to swing into rescue and relief activity in case of emergency, the government said.

The Public Works Department officials opened the shutters of two dams in Chennai suburbs and another in Thiruvannamalai district as the water-level started rapidly rising in the reservoirs.

In Karnataka, rains lashed Bengaluru and parts of the south interior and coastal districts, causing traffic congestion on Thursday.

For the next 24 hours, Bengaluru city and neighbourhood areas are likely to witness a generally cloudy sky with moderate rain likely in some areas, the IMD said.

In a statement, the IMD attributed the weather to a well marked low pressure area over Gulf of Mannar and neighbourhood with the associated upper air cyclonic circulation extending up to midtropospheric levels persists.

Meanwhile in West Bengal, Darjeeling was the coldest at 3.8 degree Celsius as the Met office on Thursday forecast a gradual fall in minimum temperature in the state.

Dense fog is likely in isolated areas in sub-Himalayan West Bengal till December 13, it said.

Kolkata recorded a fall in minimum temperature on Thursday at 13.8 degree Celsius, over two notches below normal, compared to the near average 16.2 degree Celsius a day before, the Met said.

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