Hemkunt Sahib, Auli draped in white

Dehradun, January 7 

An intense cold wave gripped Uttarakhand on Monday as snowfall continued intermittently in the hill tracts, officials said.

It has been snowing in the Dhanaulti and Surkanda areas in Mussoorie since Saturday while heavy snowfall is also intermittently taking place in Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. 

Due to heavy snowfall and poor visibility, the Yamunotri and Gangotri highways have closed, disrupting the communication to more than 20 villages. According to the Regional Met Office, there can be rain and fresh snowfall at some places in the Kumaon region on Monday.

Fog has disrupted normal life in Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar while places such as Hemkunt Sahib and Auli are completely covered in snow. The snow in the hill regions has also impacted weather in the plains and the mercury has dropped in these places. The maximum temperature expected in Dehradun is 19.2°C while the minimum was 6.6°C. Mussoorie has recorded a minimum of 3.6°C while Uttarkashi is shivering at 3°C. 

Almorah district recorded a low of 2.3°C while Mukteshwar had a low of 3.1°C. Pithoragarh was the coldest with 1.4°C. The weather is unlikely to improve over the next few days. — IANS