Chill returns as MeT predicts snowfall
Srinagar: The minimum temperature in Kashmir, barring Srinagar and Pahalgam, improved on Tuesday, even as the MET Office forecast light to moderate rain and snow in some areas over the next three days, officials said.
Srinagar and Pahalgam were the only places in the valley where the mercury went down on Monday night, while there was an improvement in the minimum temperature in the rest of the weather stations, officials said.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius on Monday night 1.5 degrees down from the previous night’s minus 3.1 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam tourist resort, which also serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 9.3 degrees Celsius over three degrees down from the previous night’s minus 6.1 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir.
Qazigund the gateway town to the valley recorded a minimum of 4.5 degrees Celsius over three degrees up from minus 7.6 degrees Celsius the previous night, they said.
The minimum temperature at the Gulmarg skiing resort, in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, settled at minus 7 degrees Celsius last night up from minus 8.2 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Kupwara town, in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag, in the south, minus 8.4 degrees Celsius.
The MET Office has forecast the possibility of light to moderate snow/rain at scattered to fairly-widespread places of J-K over three days from Tuesday.
Meanwhile, parts of north and central India are likely to receive rains from February 3 to 5, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The IMD said a gradual rise in minimum temperatures is very likely over most parts of northwest and adjoining central India during the next three to four days and the current spell of cold wave conditions is likely to abate in the next 24 hours.
According to the National Weather Forecasting Centre of the IMD, a western disturbance as a cyclonic circulation lies over Afghanistan. An induced cyclonic circulation also lies over central Pakistan and adjoining west Rajasthan.
These systems are likely to affect weather over northwest Himalayan region from the night of February 2.
“The confluence of southwesterlies, in association with the western disturbance and lower level southeasterlies, are very likely over the plains of northwest and adjoining areas of central India during February 3-5,” the IMD said.
Under the influence of above systems, scattered to fairly widespread, light to moderate rain/snow with isolated thunderstorm, lightning and hail (is) very likely over the western Himalayan region from February 2 night to February 5.
“Isolated heavy rainfall/snowfall is likely over Jammu and Kashmir on February 3 and 4, and over Himachal Pradesh on February 4,” the IMD said.
Fairly widespread light to moderate rain/thundershowers with isolated lightning and hailstorm are likely over plains of northwest India during February 3 to 5, over Madhya Pradesh from February 4 to 5 and over east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand from February 5 to 6. (PTI)
Press Trust of India
