BY G M MIR NADIM
Columnist
February is the month where winter season is on a
roll back and you can still get out of your quilts to not
fear the spine chilling bone. It is important to get out
your snow boots and warm mittens to stay warm while
you explore Kashmir.
But surprisingly between the intervening night of 22-
23 Feb 2022, major snowfall took place which disrupted
normal life in Kashmir. Flight operations, surface
transport and routine activities came to a stand-still in
the valley. Around 5 inches of snow accumulated on the
ground in the Srinagar city. Flight operations from
Srinagar International Airport were delayed as visibility
at the runway dropped to less than 500 meters. Train
services from Banihal to Baramulla were suspended for
Wednesday while multiple landslides at different places
blocked the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. All
professional and other examinations scheduled for
Wednesday were postponed by Kashmir University.
In most places in Srinagar city and rural areas,
electricity supply remained adversely affected due to the
snowfall, although authorities said that both road
clearance and electricity restoration was in full swing.
Reports from Gulmarg Ski-resort said 15 inches of
snow had accumulated on ground while at other places
in the valley the snow depth varied from 4 to 8 inches.
Eight other best snowfall places in February in India
include Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Kufri hill station
in Shimla district, Manali, Mussoorie, Nainital, Leh
Ladakh, Zuluk, Hemkund Sahib, Auli, Uttrakhand and
Tawang Arunachal Pradesh.
In February in Shimla India, it is snowing for 1.8
days and 63 mm of snow accumulated. In Manali
snowfall cannot be predicted even a week before.
Nevertheless you will get snow in and around Manali in
February.
If you are hoping to catch live snowfall, this is the
time i.e., February to visit Gulmarg in winter, opt for
skiing down the lovely slopes of Gulmarg where
Gulmarg will be buried under several feet of snow.
The cities where February is the snowlest month
include Kansas City, 5.3 inches, Louisville, Kentucky,
4.6 inches, New York City 9.2 inches, Philadelphia 8.5
inches, Port Land Oregon 2 inches, Tahoe City
California 40.7 inches and Washington DC 5.7 inches.
Months with snowfall in Gulmarg are December to
April. In February, it is snowing for 6.3 days and 118 mm
snow gets accumulated. You can create your own
snowman in Feb in Gulmarg. Make sure, you pack
heavy woolens as the temperature dips down till minus 4
degree Celsius. March to June constitute the Summer
season in Gulmarg but this is also peak tourist season
here.
Comparing Sonamarg with Gulmarg, I would say
that Sonamarg is better than Gulmarg. Sonamarg which
literally means “The Meadow of Gold”, is any snow-
lovers paradise in winters. A popular destination among
the snow and mountain lovers, this place is covered with
a beautiful sheet of snow in the peak winters and is a
sight to see and experience. I like the variety it has to
offer from hard bare mountains to the lush green
meadows, milky white river, view points, snow activities
and Glacier. But Gulmarg has the Gondola ride.
Generally speaking, snowfall is related to winters
only and winter is the coldest season of the year in Polar
and Temperate zones. It occurs between Autumn and
Spring. The tilt of Earth’s axis causes seasons. Winter
occurs when a Hemisphere is oriented away from the
sun. Different cultures define different dates as the start
of winter and some use a definition based on weather.
When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is
summer in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. In
many regions, the winter brings snow and freezing
temperatures.
The English word winter comes from Germanic
Noun “Wintru” whose origin is unclear. Winter is often
defined by meteorologists to be the three calendar
months with the lowest average temperatures. This
corresponds to the months of December, January and
February in the Northern Hemisphere and June, July
and August in the Southern Hemisphere. Diamond Dust
also known as ice-needles or ice crystals, forms at air
temperatures approaching minus 40 degree C due to air
with slightly higher moisture from above mixing with
colder, surface based air. They are made of simple
Hexagonal ice-crystals. Accumulation of snow and ice
are commonly associated with winter. Snow occurs year
round in Antarctica.
In short, winters are blessings of Almighty like
summer and other seasons of the year. We should
thank Almighty Allah for His Blessings every time.
