Srinagar, Jan 29 (IANS): It was a cloudy Friday morning here, and the Met Office has forecast a possibility of rain and snow across the Kashmir Valley later in the day.

"We are expecting moderate to heavy rain and snow till Saturday," a meteorological department official told IANS here and cautioned people residing in landslide-prone areas to take adequate safety measures.

"The precipitation is likely to decrease from Saturday evening onwards."

The night temperatures across the state improved due to a cloudy night sky. The Kashmir Valley received a brief spell of rain late on Thursday.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar was recorded at 3.1 degrees Celsius, an increase of over three degrees than Thursday's.

The minimum temperature was 1.3 degrees Celsius in Pahalgam and 3.2 degrees Celsius in ski resort of Gulmarg. The mercury settled at minus 6.5 degrees in Leh and minus 5.3 degrees Celsius in Kargil.

The minimum temperature in Jammu was 11.6 degrees Celsius. There are chances of rain accompanied by thundershowers in the city later in the day, the Met Office said.

The maximum temperatures in Srinagar and Jammu city are likely to hover around 11 and 22 degrees Celsius respectively.