Upper reaches receive fresh snow; rain lashed other parts of Kashmir

Upper reaches in north Kashmir, including border town of Keran, received fresh snowfall while rain lashed other parts of the valley, including summer capital, Srinagar, resulting in dip in the day temperature.

However, the night temperature settled above normal across Kashmir valley, where weather is expected to improve from Wednesday onwards.

A Met department spokesperson told UNI light to moderate rain, snow and thundershowers would occur at most places in Kashmir during the next 24 hours under the influence of a Western Disturbance (WD), which is active in the region. “Light rain could occur at isolated places in the valley on Tuesday,” he said, adding the weather is expected to improve from Wednesday onwards.

After witnessing a dip of a about a degree in the minimum temperature due to overnight rain, people woke up to a chilly and rainy Monday morning. However, as the day progressed, sun came out from behind the cloudy, resulting in some improvement in the afternoon. The weather again turned chilly in the evening after rain lashed the city, where people enjoyed sunny weather during the last couple of days. Against 12.2 degree recorded on Sunday, the night temperature in Srinagar settled at 11.2 degree, which is 5 degree above normal.

He said skies will be partly cloudy to light rain and thundershowers during the next 24 hours in Srinagar, where the maximum and minimum temperatures settled at 18 degree and 10 degree, respectively.

Fresh snowfall was witnessed in the upper reaches in north Kashmir districts of Kupwara and Bandipora early on Monday morning. The road to border town of Keran was closed due to slippery road conditions following fresh snowfall, an official of Police Control Room (PCR), Kupwara, told UNI over the phone.

An official in Bandipora said that fresh snowfall was recorded early in the morning in border town of Gurez, which is surrounded from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) from three sides, Tulail Valley and adjoining areas in the district. “Gurez and adjoining areas remained cutoff from rest of the valley since January 1 due to closure of the road following accumulation of several feet of snow,” he said, adding it is raining in Gurez and Tulail valley when the report last came in.

Chilly weather conditions revisited the world famous ski resort of Gulmarg, which received intermittent light to moderate rain since late last night. The mercury at the ski resort, which remained under several feet of snow, dipped and settled at 1.5 degree against 2 degree recorded on Sunday. The night temperature in Gulmarg, about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, was a degree above normal. “Despite chilly weather conditions following rain, the tourists are out on ski slopes enjoying different activities,” a hotelier said over the phone.
He said the ski resort, which is about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, witnessed a huge influx of tourists this winter season after zero business during the last two years. “Most of the hotels are booked to April end in Gulmarg,” he added.

World famous health resort of Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, also received light rain since early in the morning though night temperature remained constant at 7 degree, which is about 5 degree above normal. However, the upper reaches in Pahalgam, including Chandanwari, received very light snowfall.

The night temperature at Qazigund, gateway to the valley, Kupwara in north Kashmir and tourist resort of Kokernag settled at 12.1 degree, 8.7 degree and 10.7 degree, respectively.
UNI