MeT Forecasts Significant Improvement From Jan 24, Dry Weather Thereafter Till Jan 31
Firdous Qadri
Srinagar, Jan 23 (GNS): Kashmir Valley received fresh snowfall on Saturday, causing traffic disruptions and bringing plunge in mercury during the daytime.
Snowfall started early morning and by the time commuters started to move towards respective destinations, there was a thick layer of snow on the roads, causing traffic to slow down and ended up as nightmarish experience for most drivers. “It took me five hours to reach Lal Bazar from Bemina, a distance of barely 15 kilometers,” said Manzoor Ahmad, a resident of Umar Colony Lal Bazar.
“There was queuing traffic and at places I saw vehicles hitting dividers on the road or vehicles. At most places there waiting game,” said Haroon Ahmad, a resident of Lawaypora Srinagar.
A meteorological department official told GNS that Sadhna top had the highest snowfall of about 36 inches, Z-Gali recorded one foot while plains of Kupwara, Baramula and Bandipora had about 6-8 inches during the day. Central Kashmir districts including Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal recorded 4-8 inches of snowfall while plains of South Kashmir recorded 3-6 inches of snowfall, the MeT official said.
Gulmarg, the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district also recorded fresh snowfall of more than a foot.
While the overnight cloud cover led to substantial increase in minimum temperatures, the daytime mercury plunged across the Valley with Srinagar recoding 2.3°C, almost five degrees below the normal.
The official said night temperature settled at minus 2.0°C in Srinagar, recording an increase by almost four degree from minus 6.1°C on the previous night and it was few notches above the normal for this time of the year.
The minimum temperatures have consistently remained far below normal this season. Last week, Srinagar witnessed season’s coldest night which it was chilliest one in more than 25 years. In 1991, Srinagar witnessed a low of minus 11.8°C while the lowest ever temperature was recorded on 31 January 1893 when the mercury had plummeted to minus 14.4 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperatures rose considerably in other parts of the Valley, settling at minus 1.3°C in Pahalgam against minus 7.5°C on the previous night in the world-famous health resort.
Qazigund, the gateway town of J&K, recorded a low of minus 4.0°C against 6.2°C on the previous night while Kokernag recorded a minimum of minus 4.5°C against 6.5°C on the earlier night.
Against minus 4.8°C on the previous night, the mercury settled at minus 0.4 °C in the in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, the official said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 4.8°C against minus 6.°C on the earlier night, the official said.
Kashmir is in the middle Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day winter period which commenced on December 21 and ends on January 31. The period is considered the harshest of the winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum.
The cold wave, however, continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
The weatherman has said that there would be a significant improvement in the weather from Sunday.
“There would be a gradual improvement in the weather. Rather a significant improvement is expected from 24th January.There would be mainly dry weather till January 31,” the official added. (GNS)
