SRINAGAR: Kashmir Valley including Srinagar received light rains while some plains and higher reaches had light to moderate snowfall since overnight, officials said on Tuesday.
Amid cloud cover, the night mercury increased across J&K and Ladakh with only three weather stations set up by the meteorological department here recording below sub-zero temperature.
Quoting a meteorological department official news agency GNS reported that Srinagar received 0.2mm of rain in the last 24 hours till 0830 hours while the summer capital of the J&K recorded a low of 1.1°C against last night’s 1.0°C.
Kashmir is presently under the grip of a 40-day long harshest period of winter, known locally as ‘Chillai Kalan, which started on December 21. It is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ and a 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’.
Gulmarg had about 4 cms of fresh snowfall during the time and recorded a low of minus 6.0°C against minus 4.6°C on the previous night, he said. The temperature was 1.7°C above normal for this time of the year in the famous resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, had 1.9 cms of fresh snowfall and recorded a low of minus 0.7°C against minus 3.6°C last night, he said.
Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, received 0.6mm of rainfall and recorded a low of 0.2°C against minus 1.0°C on the previous night, he said.
Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, received 0.6mm of rainfall and recorded a low of minus 0.2°C against minus 2.0°C on the previous night, the official said.
Kupwara town in north Kashmir received 5.4cms of fresh snowfall while as it recorded a minimum of 0.2°C against 0.5°C on the previous night, the official said.
Jammu recorded a low of 9.3°C against the previous night’s 9.0°C which is 2.2°C above normal for the J&K’s winter capital during this time of the year, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of 0.4°C, Katra 6.2°C and Bhaderwah saw a minimum of 0.9°C, the official said.
Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 11.0°C against last night’s minus 13.1°C while mercury at an automatic station in Kargil settled at minus 12.3°C. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 16.1°C against last night’s minus 16.2°C, officials said.
For the next 24 hours, the weatherman has forecast isolated very light rain or snow over Jammu and Kashmir with “mist/fog over the plains of Jammu division.”
The weatherman has said that there was no forecast of any major rain or snow till the end of January in J&K.
“There will fairly widespread light to moderate rain/snow on January 19th,” the official added.
