Srinagar- In an unusual weather shift, Kashmir witnessed its hottest day of the season on Tuesday, with Srinagar recording a scorching 30.4°C — a full 10.2°C above the average for this time of year.
Srinagar recorded the highest ever maximum temperature of 31.1 degrees Celsius on April 20, 1946, the officials of the meteorological department said.
Other parts of the Valley followed suit. Qazigund touched 29.8°C, Kupwara 29.5°C, Kokernag 27.5°C, and Pahalgam 25.4°C — all marking the hottest day of the season so far. Even the snow-covered slopes of Gulmarg weren’t spared, where temperatures soared to 20.7°C — a startling 11.2°C above normal.
Amid the unexpected heatwave, the Meteorological Department (MeT) has issued yellow and orange weather alerts for April 18 and 19 (Friday and Saturday), forecasting a significant shift in weather conditions.
According to the MeT forecast, a yellow alert has been sounded for some parts of Jammu & Kashmir on April 18, followed by yellow and orange alerts across several regions on April 19. A yellow alert advises the public to remain cautious, while an orange alert urges preparedness and active monitoring of weather updates.
While the next two days are expected to remain largely dry, a fresh western disturbance is likely to bring light to moderate rainfall and snow (in higher reaches) across the region from April 18 to April 20. Some areas could see moderate to heavy precipitation, accompanied by gusty winds and thunderstorms, particularly from the evening of April 18.
On April 21, the weather is predicted to remain cloudy, with chances of light rain and thunder at scattered locations. A dry spell is expected to return between April 22 and 25. However, MeT has indicated another cloudy phase from April 26 to 27.
In view of the evolving forecast, the department has advised travellers, tourists, and transporters to plan their movements accordingly and adhere to traffic and administrative advisories.
Farmers have been urged to wrap up essential fieldwork by April 17, as the approaching weather system could trigger landslides, mudslides, and shooting stones in vulnerable areas.
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