Srinagar, June 30 -- Hot weather conditions prevailed in Kashmir valley on Monday with summer capital Srinagar recording the hottest day of the season at 35.3degC, said India meteorological department even as rain is expected from Wednesday. The meteorological centre in Srinagar recorded a maximum of 35.3degC in the city, 5.3degC above normal, highest temperature of the season so far. "At 35.3 degrees, this was the hottest day so far this summer in Srinagar. The hot temperatures will sustain tomorrow as well but will come down from Wednesday," said MeT director Mukhtar Ahmad. "Monsoon is approaching," he said. Qazigund recorded 33.8 degrees Celsius, 5 degrees above normal; Kupwara 32.7 degrees Celsius, 2.7 degrees Celsius above normal; Pahalgam 29 degrees Celsius, 3.6 degrees above normal; and Gulmarg 26.2 degrees Celsius, 5.2 degrees Celsius above normal. Independent weather spotter Faizan Arif said that heatwave conditions may persist in Kashmir tomorrow (30 June) as well. "Last year, the maximum temperature in Srinagar touched 35.5degC," he said. "Across the Kashmir region, daytime temperatures are expected to remain 4degC to 8degC above normal, resulting in heatwave conditions over many areas," he said. Arif said that no significant rise in temperatures is expected over most parts of Jammu region, where monsoon-like conditions continue. "As a result, short occasional showers are possible in some parts of Jammu during the next 48 hours," he said. "Improvement in temperatures is expected from Wednesday, with further relief from Thursday onwards as a Western Disturbance is set to come to the rescue," he said. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded after heavy rains triggered a mudslide on the Mughal Road, disrupting traffic on the key route connecting the districts of Rajouri and Poonch with the Kashmir valley, officials said. Officials said road clearance teams and machinery have been pressed into service to remove the debris and restore traffic. They advised commuters to avoid unnecessary travel on the route until the road is cleared and weather conditions improve. With the weather activity likely to intensify in Himachal Pradesh in coming days, the India Meteorological Department has sounded an orange alert of heavy rainfall in Kangra and Mandi districts for July 2 and Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur for July 3. The weather office has also sounded a yellow alert of heavy rainfall in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur district for July 1 and for Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Kullu, Shimla and Sirmaur districts on July 2. According to IMD, a fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from July 2. On Monday, rainfall was recorded at several locations in the state, including Dharamshala, Shimla, and Hamirpur. IMD officials reported that during the last 24 hours, the highest rainfall of 6 cm was recorded in Murari Devi, followed by Bharari (6 cm), Brahmani (5 cm), Ghaghas (5 cm), Bijahi (5 cm), Barthin (5 cm), Neri Aws (4 cm), Bharwain (3 cm), Raipur Maidan (3 cm), Sundarnagar (3 cm), BilaspurSadar (3 cm), Gohar (2 cm), Solan (2 cm) and Nagrota Surian (1 cm). On Monday, the maximum temperatures remained normal in Himachal. Una was the hottest in the state, recording a maximum temperature of 36 degrees Celsius. The Manali-Leh highway was closed and about a dozen villages were cut off from the district headquarters in Himachal's tribal Lahaul and Spiti district following flash floods, officials said on Monday. The BRO's 70 RCC unit is currently working through the night with three machines at the Manali-Leh highway, officials said. Ten to twelve vehicles were successfully cleared earlier, the road is getting blocked due to the intense flooding, they said....