Intense cold wave conditions grips Kashmir ahead of another spell of snow

Srinagar, Jan 18 : Cold wave conditions have intensified in Kashmir with the maximum and minimum temperature plunging at most places of the valley, Met Department said on Friday.

Meanwhile, weather advisory has been issued of expected moderate to heavy snow and rain from 19 to 25 January at widespread places of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions.

A Met department spokesperson told TNN that scattered light snow would occur during the next 24 hours in Kashmir valley under influence of a Western Disturbance (WD), which is active in the region. “The weather will remain wet during the next about a week,” he said.

“The snow and rain is most likely from 20 to 23 January and gradual decrease thereafter,” he added.

The snowfall or rainfall may lead to traffic Even though there was an improvement of a degree in the night temperature from Thursday in the border town of Kargil, it was the coldest place in the region at minus 19.2 degree, followed by Leh, where the mercury dipped about 4 degree and settled at minus 15.6 degree.

The spokesperson said that the skies will be partly cloudy to generally cloudy during the next 24 hours in Leh, where maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 1 degree and minus 12 degree, respectively.

After witnessing a slight improvement in the night temperature, people woke up to a chilly Friday morning following cloudy skies coupled with ice cold winds in the summer capital, Srinagar. Against 1.3 degree recorded on Thursday, the night temperature in Srinagar was minus 0.7 degree, which is about a degree above normal.

He said light snow would occur during the next 24 hours in Srinagar, where maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 2 degree and minus zero degree, respectively.

Meanwhile, an advisory issued by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Ahmad Khan read, “Heavy precipitation may cause avalanches in higher reaches, landslide, and water logging in low lying areas. Besides, farmers are advised to take all precautionary measures to avoid losses due to heavy snow, rain.”

Word famous tourist resort of Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, was the coldest place in the valley as the mercury dipped 5 degree from Thursday and settled at minus 10.3 degree. The night temperature in Pahalgam was 3 degree below normal.

The night temperature at Gulmarg, where the ski slopes are covered under several feet of snow, remained constant since Thursday at minus 10 degree, which is over 2 degree below normal. The ski resort, which is about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, was the only place in the region where the day temperature recorded on Thursday was over 2 degree below freezing point.

“However, despite chilly weather conditions, the ski resort is packed with tourists, including locals and foreigners, who are enjoying different winter sports activities,” a hotelier told TNN over the phone.

The mercury at Qazigund, gateway to the valley, Kupwara in north Kashmir dipped and settled at minus 0.7 degree and minus 2.8 degree, respectively. The temperature during the night remained constant since Thursday at tourist resort of Kokernag at minus 2 degree.