Snow, Rains Break Dry-Cold Spell In Valley
SRINAGAR: The Kashmir Valleys dry, cold spell broke on Saturday with fresh snowfall that was light in the plains and heavy in the higher reaches.
The meteorological department has forecast moderate to heavy snowfall over the region in the next two days, saying that mercury could drop by four to five degrees in the day time, but inch up a couple of degrees at night.
The summer capital Srinagar witnessed a slight dusting of snow in the morning, followed by periodic drizzles, but snowfall was reported to be on in several high altitude areas in outlying districts.
Snow and rain disrupted air and surface traffic to the valley briefly, but the Srinagar-Jammu highway and the Srinagar airport were operational shortly after 11 a.m., officials said.
All morning flights to and from Srinagar international Airport were cancelled due to bad weather.
According to Aamir Ali, the coordinator of the disaster management cell in Kashmir, only one-way traffic – from Jammu to Srinagar would be allowed on the national highway on Sunday.
Road links to frontier regions like Gurez were closed for traffic once again, officials said.
Power supply broke down in areas coming under heavy snow, and the divisional administration said that road clearance was on in towns and villages in the plains.
The heaviest reported snowfall occurred in the Amarnath Cave region high over Pahalgam in the South Kashmir Himalayas, and in the Razdan Pass of Gurez on the northern frontier, both said to be under a fresh three-foot layer of white.
The Zoji La heights on the closed Srinagar-Kargil highway received over two feet, while the tourist resort of Sonamarg lower down was one-foot deep in snow.
In the Anantnag district in the south, Pahalgam and adjacent areas under 1.5 feet, while in the Kulgam district, hilly areas received one to two feet of snow, while snowfall and rains were on in the plains.
In the north Kashmir frontier districts of Kupwara and Bandipur areas like Keran, Sadhna Top, Kral Pora, Vilgam, Machil, Bangus Valley, Koloosa, Madar and Panhar were under one foot of snow.
The divisional administration has asked motorists and transporters to verify the status of the Srinagar-Jammu highway before undertaking travel.
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