Shadow Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 11 :
The higher reaches of Kashmir including the ski resort of Gulmarg and picturesque Sonamarg received fresh snowfall and intensified the cold wave across the valley on Wednesday.
The ski resort of Gulmarg in North Kashmir received over an inch of fresh snowfall while the picturesque Sonmarg in Central Kashmir had received 3 inches of snow, an independent weather forecaster Faizan Arif told UNI.
He said the reports of snowfall were also received from Zojila pass on Srinagar-Ladakh highway, Sadhna Top in Kupwara and Gurez Valley in Bandipora district.
“A fresh Western Disturbance has begun influencing Jammu and Kashmir, with higher altitudes in Kashmir likely to witness snowfall today (particularly Ganderbal and Bandipora higher reaches),” Faizan said.
The system is expected to intensify from tonight, potentially bringing snowfall to even some plains during the night or early tomorrow morning.
The Meteorological Centre Srinagar said there is possibility of light snow over isolated higher reaches during the evening/night on Wednesday.
The cold and dry weather will continue during the next 7 to 10 days
“Overall, the will generally remain dry with nothing significant till December 22”, the MeT office said.
The night temperature rose amid cloud cover but stayed below freezing point in Kashmir valley on Wednesday.The Kashmir valley continued to reel under the shivering cold disrupting normal activities.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, after experiencing its coldest night of the season on Tuesday, at minus 5.4°C slipped to minus 3.0°C on Wednesday. This was still 2.4°C
below normal for the place during this period of the season.
The famous ski resort of Gulmarg remained the coldest place despite improvement in the minimum temperature recorded at minus 6.0°C against the minus 9.0°C the previous night. This was 2.4°C below normal for the valley of meadows in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
The night temperature also rose at Qazigund, the gateway town on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, recorded at minus 4.4°C against the minus 6.4°C on Tuesday and it was 3.7°C below the normal for this time of year.
Kokernag, a popular picnic spot, recorded further improvement with a minimum temperature of
minus 2.-0°C against the 4.0°C the previous night; though still 1.4°C below the average for the
day.
In the frontier district of Kupwara, the mercury improved but still recorded 2.7°C below normal of minus 1.8°C against minus 2.0°C recorded during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, the MeT office said.
