The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday asked the local administration to brace for heavy snowfall and rain from December 11, after a warning from the local meteorological department, PTI reported.

An active western disturbance is likely to affect the region, the weather department said. A western disturbance is a storm that starts in the Mediterranean region and brings winter rain to northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.

This phenomenon will affect the state from December 11 to December 15, an official said, adding that “moderate to heavy rain or snow is expected in widespread places of Jammu, Kashmir and the Ladakh region”.

Minimum temperatures at most places in Jammu and Kashmir, including Ladakh, dipped on Saturday night. Leh was the coldest place in the state, with a low of minus 9.7 degrees Celsius, a weather department official told PTI. Kargil followed, with a low of minus 9.2 degrees Celsius. Srinagar hit a low of minus 1.2 degree Celsius.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has asked the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and urban local bodies to ensure that interior roads and lanes in the city and major towns of the Valley are cleared of snow quickly, The Greater Kashmir reported.