Snowfall in Kashmir Valley, but min temp rises

Srinagar, January 23

Many parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar, received fresh snowfall on Saturday, the third time this month, even as the minimum temperatures across the Valley increased due to an overcast sky, officials said.

Earlier, Kashmir had received heavy snowfall for over four days from January 3 and moderate snowfall on January 9.

The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir received about 10 inches of snow, the officials said.

Kupwara, also in the north, received 3 inches of snow, Qazigund in south Kashmir received about 1 cm and Srinagar 0.2 cm, they said.

There were reports of snowfall in other areas in the higher reaches of the Valley and Jammu region, including on both sides of the Jawahar Tunnel along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the officials said.

Flight operations at the Srinagar airport were affected this morning due to the accumulation of snow on the runway, the officials said.

The Meteorological Department here has forecast light to moderate snowfall at scattered to widespread places in the plains of Kashmir and hilly areas of Jammu along with rain and thunder in the plains of Jammu till the forenoon on Sunday.

It said there was a possibility of heavy snowfall at isolated places in the Valley, especially in the higher reaches.

After this, the Weather Department said, the weather was likely to remain mainly dry till the end of this month.

Meanwhile, the night temperatures increased across the Valley due to the cloudy sky, bringing some relief to residents from the intense cold wave conditions.

The minimum temperature at most places in the Valley last night was above normal for this time of the season, the officials said.

Srinagar city recorded a low of -2°C, up from -6.1°C the previous night.

The minimum temperature in Gulmarg settled at -4.8°C last night, up from -6°C the night before.

Pahalgam recorded a low of -1.3°C, over five notches up from the previous night’s -7°C. — PTI

Traffic suspended on highway

• Traffic on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway was suspended on Saturday following fresh snowfall in high-altitude areas, including on both sides of Jawahar Tunnel, officials said.
• DSP (Traffic) Shamsher Singh said the slippery condition of the road on both sides of Jawahar Tunnel forced the suspension of traffic on the highway around 11 am.

House panel stranded

• The entire Parliamentary Standing Committee on transport, tourism and culture was stranded in the Valley due to heavy snowfall and cancellation of all flights.
• The committee, headed by Rajya Sabha member TG Venkatesh, was in J&K for a three-day visit to engage stakeholders on the challenges being faced by the sector.
• The committee members who were to return from J&K today could not take a flight. TNS