People in north India were taken by surprise as dust storm and thunder showers lashed several parts of the region on Friday. Hailstorm and rain disrupted normal life at several places in Punjab while temperature dropped sharply by four degrees in the state and adjoining Haryana. Dust storm and rain also hit the national capital Delhi bringing down the temperature considerably. The weatherman attributed the sudden rain, dust storm and hailstorm to development of a western disturbance over the city. In Jammu and Kashmir, the higher reaches received the first snowfall of the season on Friday while the rest of the Kashmir Valley was lashed by heavy rain leading to a drop in temperature. A weather department official said Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Qazigund areas experienced the snowfall in the Valley. AIR Leh correspondent reports that Zojilla and Gumri on the Srinagar-Leh National highway also experienced snowfall forcing the authorities to stop the movement of vehicles to Ladakh region as a precautionary measure. In Himachal Pradesh, the popular tourist resort of Manali experienced the season's first snowfall. Tribal areas of Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Pangi and other higher hills and high mountain passes also received snowfall.While the tribal areas had intermittent snowfall, the mid and lower hills were lashed by heavy showers, causing a sharp fall in day temperature.Hundred of tourists are stranded in Koksar and Mardhi after the Rohtang pass was closed for traffic. Shimla was lashed by a severe storm, reducing the visibility to a few meters.