In Pictures: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh hills welcome May with sudden snowfall

In Pictures: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh hills welcome May with sudden snowfall

While heat waves have already struck several parts of the country, higher reaches in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand received fresh snowfall, bringing down the temperature in the states. Places which witnessed snowfall in Himachal include Rohtang Pass, Kanam and Labrang village of Kinnaur. Uttarakhand's Badrinath, which is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India, also received several times more snowfall in the first day of May. Frequent snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir since January also led to the closure of the Mughal road, which connects the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri with Shopian. However, the 84-km mountainous road, an alternative link between Kashmir and rest of the country, is likely to thrown open for traffic movement next week as the snow clearance operation is almost complete.

In Pictures: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh hills welcome May with sudden snowfall

Uttarakhand's Badrinath received fresh snowfall on Wednesday. The portals of the Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu are scheduled to open on May 10. The temple and town form one of the four Char Dham and Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites.

In Pictures: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh hills welcome May with sudden snowfall

Kinnaur Kailash mountain in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh received fresh snowfall today.

In Pictures: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh hills welcome May with sudden snowfall

An army convoy passes through snow bound Zojila Pass, situated at a height of 11,516 feet, on its way to frontier region of Ladakh on Sunday. The Srinagar-Leh highway, the only road linking Kashmir with Ladakh, was reopened for traffic after remaining closed for over 4 months.

In Pictures: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh hills welcome May with sudden snowfall

Traffic movement got affected after Rohtang Pass received fresh snowfall this morning. The snow clearance operation is still underway in the region.

In Pictures: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh hills welcome May with sudden snowfall

The mechanical division of the roads and buildings department launched a massive snow-clearance operation on the road, which usually remains closed for traffic during winter, around middle of March to ensure its early reopening.

In Pictures: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh hills welcome May with sudden snowfall

Precipitation also occurred at many other places of Himachal Pradesh, including Shimla, which received rain with hails in this April.