Rains lashed several parts of North India yesterday. Intermittent snowfall in the higher reaches of Kashmir and light rains on the plains, including in Srinagar, resulted in considerable drop in the mercury across the state. The MeT department said, ski-resort Gulmarg received about 10 inches of fresh snow yesterday.<br/><br/>In Himachal Pradesh, maximum day temperature dropped by five to seven degrees due to rain, hailstorm and snow in most parts of the state. The high altitude tribal areas, higher reaches and mountain passes had another spell of intermittent snowfall while the mid and lower hills received widespread heavy rains.<br/><br/>Bad weather yesterday hampered search operations, including aerial recce, by rescue teams to locate the eight engineering students who went missing near Chandrakhani Pass in Kullu district.<br/><br/>An avalanche warning has been issued for high reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, asking people not to venture in these areas over the next 48 hours.