SRINAGAR: Kashmir valley, including Srinagar Tuesday experienced light snow and rainfall breaking the prolonged dry spell, while authorities closed down Mughal Road for the vehicular traffic.
An official of the Metrological Department said that Gulmarg received 4 inches of snow since 2 pm on Tuesday. He said many other parts of the Valley in including Kupwara, Qazigund, Pahalgam and Capital Srinagar experienced light rainfall.
The rainfall was also reported from Baramulla district.
The peripherial areas of Gulmarg including Aferwath, Khilanmarg and Kongdoori received moderate snowfall ranging between four inches to six inches, the officials said.
Reports of snowfall were also received from Z-gali, Sadna and Razdan tops and Gurez near the Line of Control in north Kashmir, Sonamarg on Srinagar-Leh national highway and higher reaches of Pir Panjal range, the officials said.
Srinagar and other parts of the Valley received light rains giving a respite to the people from the dry spell.
Light to moderate rain and snow would occur at most places over Kashmir and Jammu regions; at a few places in Ladakh region, the weather department said.
Meanwhile, after snowfall at Peer ki Gali, the authorities closed down Mughal Road.
The snowfall created slippery conditions at various places including at Bufliyaz after which road was closed and vehicles were stopped and were sent to via Jammu to Srinagar, a police official, Chetan Kumar, said.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of Chillai-Kalan the 40 day harshest winter which began on December 21. The chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent during this period which leads to increase in the night temperatures bringing respite from the cold wave conditions, which otherwise intensify due to dry weather in winters.
However, dry weather prevailed over the Valley for more than half of the 40-day period and the spell was broken by todays snowfall and rains.
Minimum temperatures rose by several degrees, staying above the freezing point at most places for the first time in about a month.
Srinagar recorded a low of 0.2 degrees Celsius, up by over three notches from the previous night’s low of minus 3.1 degrees Celsius, a MeT department spokesperson said.
Leh, in the frontier Ladakh region, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 7.3 degrees Celsius, almost 7 degrees up from the previous night’s minus 14.2 degrees, he said.
Kargil recorded a low of minus 10.0 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said, adding the town was the coldest recorded place in the state.
Qazigund in south, recorded a low of 0.3 degrees Celsius, an increase of over four degrees from minus 4.4 degrees Celsius the previous night.
The mercury in Pahalgam resort registered an increase of over six degrees from minus 4.8 degrees Celsius the previous night’s to settle at a low of 2.2 degrees Celsius, the spokesperson said.
The minimum temperature in Gulmarg settled at minus 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to minus 0.6 degrees of the previous night’s, he said.
Kokernag recorded the minimum of 1.3 degrees Celsius – an increase of over three degrees from the previous night’s low of minus 2.0 degrees Celsius, he said.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
