Srinagar, Aug. 27 -- Ladakh witnessed first major snowfall in August while moderate rains lashed Kashmir valley on Tuesday. Officials said that widespread snowfall was recorded in parts of Ladakh, including Leh, Kargil and Drass. In a surprise, the Suru summer festival going on in Ladakh's Suru valley was also covered with snowfall. Union minister Kuran Rijiju was also in Ladakh during the festival. "For the first time in my life, I have witnessed such heavy snowfall in August here in Ladakh. Even the villagers said they had never seen snowfall of this magnitude during this month. The unusual weather, with rain and snow across North India, disrupted the festival we had gathered to celebrate," Rijiju told a local news agency. "Despite the challenges, the beauty of this tourist destination remains unmatched, and such moments remind us of nature's power and unpredictability," he said. Meanwhile, light to moderate rainfall was recorded in Kashmir during the night and morning hours on Tuesday. The rainfall continued in the afternoon as well. Traffic officials said that the Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road in South Kashmir continues to be closed since Sunday owing to a landslide at Sinthan Nallah and subsequent wet weather. The meteorological centre in Srinagar said that moderate rains in the wee hours were recorded in South Kashmir while the central Kashmir recorded light rainfall. The summer capital Srinagar recorded 3.3 mm rains while South Kashmir's Kulernag and Qazigund witnessed rainfall of 19.8 mm and 17.8 mm respectively till 8.30 in the morning. The day proceeded to record further rainfall in the afternoon. "Significant rainfall was recorded during the last 24 hrs including Kathua recording 155.6 mm, Jammu 81.5, Jammu Burmal 137.5 mm, Katra 68.8, Samba 99.5 mm, Reasi 67 mm, Udhampur 92.4, Bhaderwah ARG 114.5 mm respectively," said director MeT Mukhtar Ahmad. He said that the water levels in the river Jhelum in Kashmir and all rivers in Jammu have increased and cautioned that the next 24 hours are crucial. "Due to the continuous rainfall in Jammu for the past one week, the water level in rivers and streams has increased in Jammu," he said. He said that there was a red alert in terms of bad weather in Jammu, Reasi, Udhampur, Reasi, Kathu, Sambha, Doda and Kishtwar and the chances of it sustaining is for next 24 hours. "The forecast of inclement weather is till Wednesday morning. However, the weather is expected to improve from Tuesday evening," he said. "Jammu region is expected to experience heavy rains from August 29 to September 1 again," he said. Authorities have issued advisories in various districts asking people including in Ladakh to remain away from flood prone areas. The office of the District Magistrate, Srinagar, urged people in hilly areas to remain away from slopes and water bodies. Tourists, local Shikara operators, and sand miners have also been cautioned against crossing River Jhelum and its tributaries without verifying the situation....