Srinagar- After two consecutive spells of snowfall, an intense cold wave has tightened its grip on Jammu and Kashmir, plunging temperatures across the region and disrupting daily life
Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K, recorded a biting low of -4.4°C, intensifying the winter chill. Residents are facing frozen water pipelines, slippery roads, and increased heating demands as temperatures across the Valley dropped significantly.
The coldest spots in Kashmir were Larnoo (Anantnag) -11.6°C, Pahalgam -10.4°C, Gulmarg -9.6°C, Shopian -9.9°C, Anantnag and Kulgam -8.4°C.
Ladakh experienced the most extreme conditions, with Drass recording an unbearable -24.8°C, followed by Kargil (-14.6°C) and Leh (-13.3°C). Zojila has recorded the lowest temperature at -31 degrees Celsius.
In Jammu, while conditions were less severe, cold persisted in hill towns like Padder (-5.1°C) and Bhaderwah (-0.2°C).
The Met office has forecast mainly dry weather over the next two days, with the possibility of light rain/snow at isolated places on Saturday.
It also said the minimum temperature is likely to drop further in the Valley, and forecast an isolated cold wave over the few days ahead.
Authorities have advised residents and tourists to take precautions as the cold spell continues, with no significant relief expected in the coming days.
Srinagar-Ladakh Highway Closed
The traffic on the strategic Srinagar-Kargil Highway connecting Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh will remain suspended due to icy conditions given inclement weather and to carry out maintenance work from January 11, officials said.
Interestingly Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the 6.4-kilometer-long Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg Highway on January 13.
The Z-Morh tunnel, along with the 13-kilometer-long under-construction Zojila tunnel, forms a crucial part of a strategic project for ensuring round-the-year connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh region which remains closed during the winters due to heavy snowfall.
The senior Superintendent of Police Traffic UT of Ladakh Altaf Ahmad Shah in a public notice has informed the general public, especially commuters, drivers, and tourists that the traffic on the Kargil-Srinagar highway (Zojila pass) shall remain suspended due to icy road conditions and inclement road conditions.
The notification said, “whereby a maintenance work on the road shall be carried out by the concerned agencies from January 11 to January 14, 2025”.
“Traffic shall resume on the highway on January 14 subject to weather conditions”, the notice reads.
“Keeping in view the clement weather condition and scheduled road maintenance, commuters/passengers are advised to restrict their journey till ‘Green’ signal from the concerned road maintenance agencies, in order to avoid inconvenience as well as any untoward incident while traveling”, the notice added.
“The commuters and passengers are advised to undertake journeys on the route only after confirming the status of the road from the traffic police control room and traffic control units of Kargil and Leh”, the notice concludes.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Zojila pass on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway experienced snowfall and the minimum temperature plunged to -31.0°C on Thursday.
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 | |
