Snowfall continues in upper reaches in Kashmir

SRINAGAR : Moderate to heavy snowfall continued in the upper reaches, including world famous ski resort of Gulmarg, while sky was cloudy in the plains in the Kashmir valley, where the mercury witnessed further dip resulting in severe chill. Tree and roof tops besides open fields remained under a blanket of snow in the valley, including summer capital, Srinagar.
However, Meteorological department has predicted improvement in the weather condition from today for next one week in Jammu and Kashmir.
Though there was some improvement in the temperature at Leh and Kargil, it was still sub zero, a Met department spokesperson said here today.
Gulmarg, about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, received about half-a-feet of fresh snowfall since early this morning. It was still snowing when the reports last came in. He said the upper reaches, including Affarwat, the highest skiing point connected through Cable Car, Kongdori and Khilanmarg received heavy snowfall during the past 24 hours. The sokesperson said Gulmarg recorded minus 2.5 degress celsius minimum temperature which was one and half a degree above normal.
Entire north Kashmir, including plains, also received fresh snowfall since early this morning. The upper heights including Keran, Karnah, Machil, Tangdhar, Kupwara, Handwara, Sadhna and Razdan passes and areas near the Line of Control (LoC) also received heavy to very heavy snowfall during the past 24 hours. Dozens of villages, including those near the LoC, remained cut off with their respective district and tehsil headquarters due to snowfall.
Kupwara witnessed drop in the minimum temperature as against 2.3 degree minimum temperature yesterday, it was 1.7 degree, slightly below normal.
However, sky was cloudy at Pahalgam, a famed health resort in south Kashmir, a tourist official said. He said after fresh snowfall yesterday, the sky was under dark clouds today. Due to snowfall, minimum temperature dropped again. Against yesterday’s 0.2 degree, it was minus 0.6 today, which was about half a notch below normal. Qazigund, gateway of Kashmir where hundreds of empty trucks and oil tankers are stranded due to closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, recorded 0.2 degree minimum temperature, three notches below normal due to more than a feet of snowfall during the past 24 hours.
Kokernag recorded minus 0.7 degree minimum temperature, more than two degree below normal.
Chilly weather continued because of icy cold winds in the summer capital, where sky was cloudy and sun was playing hide and seek.
A number of areas remained inundated in the city, where the minimum temperature was 0.4 degree, four notches below normal. Barring roads, everything, including roof and tree tops, open space and parks, remained under a blanket of white snow. People in border town of Kargil on the Srinagar-Leh national highway closed since December last year continued to freeze though there was some improvement in the minimum temperature which was minus 6.4 degree against yesterdays minus 8 degree. At Leh, it was minus 0.5 degree against yesterday’s minus 1.6 degree.
(AGENCIES)

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