Intermittent rains, snowfall continue in Kashmir

Srinagar: As intermittent rains in plains and snowfall in upper reaches continued to lash Jammu and Kashmir for a second day on Tuesday, cold winds swept across the state, with temperatures falling several degrees below normal.

The early snowfall blocked several roads in hilly areas of the Valley with authorities pressing men and machinery to clear the snow and restore traffic on these roads. After remaining closed for a day, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only road link that connects Kashmir with the rest of the country, was partially restored this afternoon, reports stated.

The Zojila Pass along the Srinagar-Ladakh Highway also received snowfall. Machines were seen clearing the snow from the strategic road link.

Following the recent snowfall, temperatures have dropped significantly in Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar. On Tuesday, the temperature was 10.8 degrees Celsius, a noticeable decrease from the 22.0 degrees Celsius recorded on Sunday.

In Pahalgam, a hill station in South Kashmir, the temperature today was 8.0 degrees Celsius, which is a drop from the 15.9 degrees Celsius recorded on Sunday. Meanwhile, the ski resort of Gulmarg in North Kashmir registered a temperature of 4.0 degrees Celsius today, significantly lower than the 21.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Local MeT office issued a forecast of clear weather starting Tuesday evening. “There is no forecast of any major wet spell across J&K so far. From today evening, the weather will remain dry till October 24,” an official from the MeT office said.

An advisory issued by the MeT office asked farmers to postpone harvesting of crops till Wednesday. A severe hailstorm on Sunday evening has already caused significant damage to apple produce in several areas of the Valley.