Srinagar: Srinagar and other plains of Kashmir valley received season-first snowfall ending a long dry spell, officials said.
Reports of snowfall were also received from parts of Doda, Ramban, and Kishtwar while rains lashed the plains of Jammu district.
The snowfall has also shut down some strategic roads including the historical Mughal road connecting the Shopian district of south Kashmir with the twin district of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu district, Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road connecting Ladakh besides Sinthan-Kishtwar road and Kokernag-Marwa-Warwan road following accumulation of snow.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir received the first snowfall of the season after a long dry spell much to the delight of the people and tourists.
The tourists were seen enjoying the snowflakes on the fashionable Boulevard road on the banks of Dal Lake in the backdrop of luxurious Houseboats besides clicking lifetime memorable pictures.
The season’s first Snowfall has been recorded in many plain areas of south Kashmir, including Bijbehara, Shopian, Kulgam, parts of Pulwama and Qazigund, Baramulla and other parts of the Kashmir valley on Friday.
“Based on current ground observations and future forecast, significant snowfall is expected in a few higher altitudes, with accumulations ranging between 12 and 18 inches”, Faizan Arif an independent weather forecaster told UNI.
He said some plains in South Kashmir may also record good snowfall. “For central and north Kashmir plains, the system’s intensity remains uncertain, making it difficult to estimate snowfall amounts or depth”, he added.
This weather system is expected to remain active until tomorrow afternoon.
The weather will remain dry hereafter till December 31 and another spell of light snow is expected at the isolated to scattered places during January 1 to 4.
There was no let-up in bone chilling cold in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir valley with night temperatures continuing to fall at many weather stations on Friday.
The minimum temperature recorded during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday witnessed a fall at Srinagar and was recorded at -7.3°C against the -7.0°C on Thursday. This was 4.9°C below the average for the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir during this period of the season.
The continued cold wave and freezing temperature have seized taps, several water bodies, and the iconic Dal Lake causing inconvenience to the inhabitants.
There was a slight improvement in the minimum temperature at the tourist spot of Pahalgam which recorded at -8.0°C on Friday against the -8.6°C a day ago. This was 3.4°C below normal for the tourist spot of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district during the period.
Qazigund also witnessed a rise by a notch and recorded at -6.9°C against the -7.0°C recorded the previous night and this was 4.5°C below the average for the place on Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
The picnic spot of Kokernag in south Kashmir also rose by several notches and recorded at -4.8°C on Friday against the -5.5°C a day ago and this was 2.6°C below the average for the place.
The ski resort of Gulmarg recorded -6.0°C against -6.6°C on Thursday and this was normal for the valley of meadows in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district during this period.
The minimum temperature at Kashmir’s frontier district of Kupwara improved and was recorded at a low of-6.4°C on Friday against the -6.7°C on Thursday and this was 3.4°C below normal for the border town during this period of the season, the MeT office said.
UNI
