Two killed as boulders hit Scorpio vehicle
Temple Dome Damaged by Lightening Strike In Jammu, Jammu-Srinagar National Highway Closed
Shadow Correspondent
Srinagar, FEB 27:
Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley received a fresh snowfall, bringing down the temperature and disrupting normal life on Thursday, officials said.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, and its adjoining areas received light snowfall this evening after moderate rains, bringing down the temperature and disrupting normal activities.
The mountains surrounding iconic Dal Lake in Srinagar turned white with the fresh snowfall today. The precipitation continued till late in the evening.
The inclement weather persisted for the third consecutive day in the Kashmir Valley, with higher reaches experiencing yet another heavy spell of snowfall, while the plains have been lashed by moderate to heavy rains over the past 24 hours.
Most of the higher reaches of Kashmir received moderate snowfall, with isolated areas also witnessing heavy accumulation, while rainfall was recorded in most plains of the valley.
The Meteorological Centre Srinagar office said the ski resort of Gulmarg received the highest accumulation of 20.0 cm of snow.
Apart from Gulmarg, snowfall was also reported from higher reaches of Kupwara, Shopian, Razdan Top in Bandipora, Jawahar Tunnel, Pir Panjal Range of mountains in south Kashmir, Sonamarg, Kargil, Drass, and Zanasker in Ladakh Union Territory, adding to the winter chill in these areas.
The Met forecast the weather generally will remain cloudy with light to moderate rain/snow at most places with isolated heavy rain/snow over both Kashmir and Jammu divisions during the next 24 hours.
The weather generally will remain cloudy with light rain/snow at isolated to scattered places during March 1 and 2, while light to moderate rain and snow will occur at many places on March 3.
The weather will generally remain dry from March 4 to 8. It has also issued an advisory stating that there is a
Srinagar, other
possibility of temporary disruption of surface transportation, mainly over Sadhna Pass, Razdan Pass, the Sonamarg-Zojila-Gumri axis, Mughal Road, Sinthan Pass, and other major roads of hilly districts.
It has also advised tourists, travellers, and transporters to plan their trips accordingly and follow admin/traffic advisories.
Farmers have also been advised to suspend irrigation and other farm operations during the period.
Giving parameters of the rain and snowfall during the past 24 hours, the MeT office said that the picnic spot of Kokernag in south Kashmir witnessed the highest precipitation, recording a rainfall of 38.6 mm, followed by the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, which received 23.8 mm, and Kupwara, which received 16.7 mm, Pahalgam, which received 11.2 mm, Qazidung 9.6mm and Srinagar 4.4mm during the past 24 hours.
The night temperature improved at most weather stations of the Kashmir Valley, with Srinagar recording a low of 5.1°C during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, and it was 3.3°C above the average during this period of the season.
The day temperature slipped down to 6.5°C in Srinagar, and this was 5.5°C below normal for the place.
The tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir had a low of 1.0°C, the ski resort of Gulmarg at-1.8°C, Kokernag 1.8°C, Kupwara 1.5°C and Qazigund 3.2°C respectively, the MeT office said.
A snow avalanche occurred in the Khandyal village of Gurez valley in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday afternoon. This affected many residential houses in the region. According to the officials, one house was damaged by the avalanche, but there was no immediate report of injuries or casualties.
The officials further stated that teams of revenue officials have been sent to assess the damages and have advised the residents to remain alert until the snowfall in the region continues.
A press release said the Gurez Valley has received 4 to 5 feet of fresh snowfall, while the Tulail region has received six inches.
Other than the avalanche in the valley, the other regions of Jammu and Kashmir are experiencing constant rains and snowfalls. There has been constant rain in the Udhampur district over the past two days and as per the India Metereological Department, the same situation is expected to continue until February 28.
Apart from Udhampur, Srinagar received a fresh spell of constant snowfall, and as seen in the visuals, the locals carried umbrellas to protect themselves from the snow.
The plain areas of the Kupwara district, such as Muqamishahwali and Drugmulla received fresh snowfall on Thursday, just like Srinagar.
The IMD issued an orange alert in the four districts of Himachal Pradesh on February 27 and as per senior scientist of the Shimla-based IMD, Sandeep Kumar Sharma, the ‘western disturbance’ has caused an increase in snow and rain activity in the state.
On February 27, the India Meterological Department issued an orange alert of heavy rain and snowfall in the Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Mandi districts. Meanwhile, The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) has been closed for vehicular movement from both directions following heavy mud slush at Mehad Ramban, officials said on Thursday.
A traffic Police official said, “Vehicular movement stopped from both side on Jammu-Srinagar NHW due to mud slush at Mehad Ramban men and machinery on job.”
” People are requested to avoid unnecessary travel and journey during night journey on NH 44 in view of heavy rain, shooting stones at many places between Nasri and NAVYUG Tunnel. For status contact 9419993745,” he said
The dome of a Shiv temple was damaged after being struck by lightning in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, officials said.
One person suffered minor injuries in the incident after being hit by a fallen stone, the officials added.
A group of devotees had assembled for the “langar” service in connection with Mahashivratri when the lightning struck the temple at Goramorh in the Vijaypur area, the officials said.
A “Kalash” on the top of the temple was uprooted in the incident, the officials added.
Two people lost their lives after boulders hit a Scorpio car near Dherian Ziarat on the Surankote-Poonch Highway on Thursday.
Officials told that the incident occurred due to continuous shooting stones in the area.
The rescue teams have been rushed to the spot, but both occupants had already succumbed to their injuries, they said.
Authorities have launched an operation as stone shooting continues, posing further risks to commuters. Travelers are advised to exercise caution while passing through the affected stretch, officials added.
