SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir administration has been put on alert after MeT forecasted widespread snow till January 9.
Snowfall is being reported from all parts of the valley from North to South Kashmir. Summer capital Srinagar is also seeing light to moderate snow at places with the intensity likely to increase later in the day.
Meteorological (MeT) Centre Srinagar has issued an orange alert and asked people not to venture out in avalanche-prone areas.
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MeT .
As far as snow forecast for Wednesday is concerned, there can be short gaps in between in some areas. However, for most of the time wet weather will continue,” said Kashmir Weather, a private forecasting portal.
It said in plains, snow depth can vary between 1 inch and 9 inches. In higher reaches, some areas can even receive 3-4 feet of snow.
“Main intensity will be in the Jammu region, followed by south Kashmir (especially Kulgam and Shopian), then at a few places in north Kashmir. Pulwama, Srinagar, some parts in Budgam, and Ganderbal may not experience the full strength of this system compared to other areas. Precipitation amount will be less,” it said.
Maximum day temperature will stay below 3.5°C in the Kashmir division. For Jammu region, temperatures can stay 3 – 10°C below the normal. “Weather may improver after Thursday morning,” said Kashmir Weather.
On Tuesday, the highest snowfall was observed in Gulmarg in north Kashmir, where 21.8cm of snow was recorded till morning. “Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded 13.5cm snow, while it was 5cm in Kupwara,” said a MeT official.
Srinagar recorded 7.1mm rain while it was 4mm in Qazigund and Konibal. Jammu’s Banihal received 11.4mm rain and Bhaderwah 8.6mm.
Around 42 flights, which were scheduled to take off or land at Srinagar International Airport were canceled on Tuesday owing to low visibility due to snowfall.
“Our international airport has no landing aids that enable the runway to remain open when visibility dips. We make such a big deal about tourism & investment promotion now imagine the plight of those tourists who’ve sat all day outside the terminal & watched their flights get canceled,” tweeted former chief minister Omar Abdullah.
MeT said there are chances of snow avalanches and landslides in vulnerable areas. MeT has asked the people in snow-bound areas to avoid venturing into sloppy areas during heavy snow and maintain proper ventilation.
Director Health Services Kashmir has asked the health officers not to leave their respective stations to deal with any emergency situation that may arise due to the prevalent inclement weather conditions.
All Chief Medical Officers, Block Medical Officers, and Medical Superintendents to ensure that health care facilities in their respective jurisdictions are not disrupted due to bad weather.
