Higher reaches of Valley get fresh snow, train services hit

Higher reaches of Kashmir valley on Thursday received fresh snowfall, including in some of the plains, according to Weather Department officials.

Weather Department officials said that apart from plains in south Kashmir, Pir Panjal mountain range saw fresh snowfall.

While south Kashmir areas got snowfall, Srinagar received rain on Thursday.

According to officials, the weather impacted train services on the Banihal-Budgam route and a train operating on the route was suspended. Other trains operated normally on the track.

The J-K traffic police said on Thursday even as the Srinagar-Jammu highway route is open to traffic, the Srinagar-Ladakh highway has been shut due to fresh snowfall in the area.

A weather advisory said that from January 17 to 19, the sky would be generally cloudy and “light snow at isolated higher reaches can’t be ruled out.”

On January 20 and 21, the weather will be generally cloudy with possibility of light snow at isolated to scattered places.

Again on January 22 and 23, the weather will be generally cloudy with possibility of light to moderate rain (plains of Jammu)/snow at scattered to fairly widespread places.

The Weather Department, meanwhile, said the night temperature in Srinagar on Wednesday night was recorded at minus 2.5 degrees Celsius.

In north Kashmir’s tourist destination Gulmarg, a minimum temperature of minus 7 degrees Celsius was recorded.

South Kashmir’s Pahalgam, one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered minus 4.2 degrees Celsius.