Mussoorie, Oct. 30 -- Light to heavy rains lashed across Uttarakhand on Thursday, while higher reaches, including the shrines of Gangotri and Kedarnath, experienced heavy snowfall. Following the severe weather shift, district administrations were put on high alert, and officials said proactive measures were taken across affected areas. District disaster management officer, Uttarkashi, Shardul Gusain, said, "Due to a heavy spell of snow in Gangotri and Harsil, the yatra route remains open, but vehicular movement has been stopped briefly. Pilgrims have been halted at Heena as a precautionary measure. Authorities are maintaining continuous surveillance, utilising live CCTV feeds to monitor real-time conditions at Shri Gangotri and Shri Yamunotri shrines." Officials directed departments to prioritize pilgrim safety, secure temporary accommodations, and arrange bonfires to protect travellers from the freezing cold. Deepak Semwal, a priest at Gangotri, said that snowfall began around 8 am on Thursday and continued intermittently throughout the day. Rajkumar Tiwari, president of Shree Kedar Sabha Teerth Purohit Samaj Kedarnath, said Kedarnath experienced morning snow before transitioning into intermittent rain, adding that persistent cold could completely blanket the area in snow over the next 24 hours. The Meteorological Centre in Dehradun issued a warning forecasting light to moderate rainfall alongside potential snowfall at elevations above 3,300 meters. Over the 24 hours leading up to Thursday morning, Roorkee recorded the state's highest temperature at 32.4degC and heavy rainfall of 38 mm, while Tehri recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 8.7degC. Dehradun district saw light to heavy downpours, with Dhakrani recording 21.5 mm, while Rishikesh, Mohakampur, Raiwala, Jollygrant, and Mussoorie also received steady precipitation. In Uttarkashi, Harsil registered 22.5 mm of rain. Significant rainfall was also logged in Tehri district, including 18 mm at Mukhaim and 17.5 mm in New Tehri. According to IMD officials, the weather spike stems from passing regional systems combined with a persistent Western Disturbance. Coupled with localized circulations over southern Punjab and northern Haryana, these eastward-moving systems are drawing moisture into the region, fuelling scattered rain, high-altitude snow, and gusty conditions, officials said. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Friday, predicting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail, and gusty winds (40-50 km per hour) at isolated places in Nainital, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, and Chamoli districts. A yellow alert for isolated heavy rainfall has also been sounded for Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Nainital, and Champawat, with thunderstorms likely to persist across hilly districts on Saturday....