Srinagar: Srinagar and most other parts of Kashmir witnessed dry weather after five days of intermittent rains and snowfall, with the minimum temperature across the division, including Ladakh region, appreciating, even as the MeT Department predicted a fresh western disturbance early next week. “A fresh western disturbance would affect Jammu and Kashmir from February 23 evening. There are chances of widespread rains or snow on February 24 and 25,” a MeT Department spokesman said here.
He said there would be decrease in precipitation after that. The spokesman said Gulmarg and Kupwara received fresh rains today, while other parts of the Valley remained dry. Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a low of 3.9 degrees Celsius – up by 3.5 degrees from 0.4 degree Celsius the previous night, he said. The minimum temperature in Gulmarg, the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir and the star attraction for tourists especially skiers from abroad, settled at minus 2 degrees Celsius – up by a degree from minus 3 degrees Celsius yesterday, the spokesman said. The resort received 9.8 mm of rainfall.
The mercury in Pahalgam hill resort in south, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, settled at a low of 0.2 degree Celsius, compared minus 0.6 degree Celsius yesterday, he said. The mercury in Qazigund on Srinagar-Jammu national highway increased by a degree from 0.4 degree Celsius the previous night to settle at 1.4 degree Celsius, the spokesman said. He said Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, registered the minimum temperature of 0.9 degree Celsius, nearly two degrees up from minus 0.9 degree Celsius yesterday.
The mercury in Kupwara, in north Kashmir, went higher by two degrees from 0.8 degree Celsius to settle at a low of 2.8 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said. The town received 1.2 mm of rainfall, he added. Leh, the frontier town in Ladakh region, recorded the minimum temperature of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night’s minus 5.9 degrees Celsius.
The spokesman said the data for the nearby Kargil town was not available. Meanwhile, Srinagar-Jammu national highway was thrown open for one-way traffic today after remaining closed for two days. “The highway is open and traffic was allowed to ply from Srinagar to Jammu,” a Traffic Control Room spokesman said here. The highway was closed for traffic on Thursday following heavy snowfall at some places along the route. Yesterday, only those vehicles were allowed to ply which were stranded on Thursday.
