JammuSome areas in the higher reaches of Kashmir received snowfall while the plains recorded light rainfall breaking the dry spell in the valley which had given rise to ailments like cough and common cold.
Few of valleys upper areas received fresh snowfall last night, while light rainfall was recorded in plains, a spokesman of the Meteorological Department said.
Affarwat peaks in Gulmarg in north Kashmirs Baramulla district recorded three inches of fresh snowfall till 8:30 am this morning.
Sonamarg and its adjoining areas in central Kashmirs Ganderbal also received snowfall, which was going on when last reports came in.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, and other areas in the plains across the valley received rains during the night, the spokesman said, adding the city recorded 2.2 mm of rainfall.
Owing to the overcast conditions, the minimum temperature at most of the places across the valley, except Gulmarg in north Kashmir, stayed above the freezing point.
The mercury in Gulmarg settled at a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius, three notches down from the previous nights 0 degree Celsius, the sPaKesman said.
He said Srinagar registered the minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celsius, compared to 2.9 degrees Celsius the previous night.
While Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded a low of 2.
4 degrees Celsius, the mercury in nearby Qazigund settled at 2.1 degrees Celsius, the sPaKesman said.
He said Pahalgam, also in south Kashmir, registered a low of 1.8 degrees Celsius, a degree up from the previous night.
The mercury is Kupwara, in north Kashmir, settled at a low of 1.3 degrees Celsius, up from minus 0.7 degrees Celsius on the previous night, the sPaKesman said.
He said Leh, in Ladakh region of the state, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.7 degrees Celsius last night compared to minus 6.3 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Kargil was the coldest recorded place in the state as the mercury there settled at minus 5 degrees Celsius.
The MET Office has forecast scattered to fairly widespread rainfall from today till November 18.
Meanwhile, traffic movement on the Mughal road, connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country, was Wednesday disrupted for several hours due to snowfall.
Hundreds of passenger vehicles were stranded after snowfall rendered the Mughal road unsafe. But, the snow was cleared in a swift operation, a traffic police official said.
Moderate snowfall was gauged at the Sinthan top in Kishtwar district forcing suspension of traffic on the road connecting the district with Anantang in south Kashmir.
Half a foot of snow accumulated on the ground between Peer Ki Gali and Maansar, a 20-km stretch along the Mughal road, leaving a large number of vehicles from both sides Poonch in Jammu and Shopian in Kashmir – stranded, Deputy Superintendent of Police traffic Mohammad Aslam told PTI.
He said the authorities concerned swung into action and cleared the road for vehicular traffic around this afternoon.
“No vehicle will be allowed to move on the road from 6 pm onwards due to prediction of more snowfall,” the officer said adding the decision to allow traffic on the road tomorrow will depend on the weather conditions.
The Meteorological department predicted light to moderate rain or snowfall in large swathes of Jammu and Kashmir for the next two days.
Rains in plains and snowfall in the higher reaches ended over two-month-long dry spell in the state.
A police spokesperson said the Sinthan top along the Kishtwar-Anantnag road recorded over one foot of snow since last night.
“The road was closed this afternoon as it was still snowing in the area,” 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 | |