Srinagar, Oct 18 (PTI) Higher reaches in Kashmir valley, including picturesque Pahalgam and Sonamarg, today received season's first snowfall ushering in wintry conditions.

To the sheer delight of tourists and locals alike, it started snowing in famous hill resort Pahalgam, some 100-km from here, at around 1730 hrs.

Upper reaches of the resort, located in South Kashmir, also received heavy snowfall overnight which dipped mercury sharply, the Met office said.

Pahalgam, where the sky remained overcast throughout the day, experienced the coldest night of the season with the minimum plunging to two-degree celsius.

Scenic Sonamarg, nearly 80 kms from here, also donned a white mantle with the dumping of five to six inches of snow.

The Met office said snowfall in upper reaches during this time of the year is not an unusual phenomenon.

The minimum in Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, dipped to 3.