Light snowfall in Gurez sector breaks dry spell in Valley
Srinagar: The prolonged dry spell in the Valley was broken as Gurez sector in Bandipora district received light snowfall overnight even as minimum temperatures rose a few notches in several places, officials said on Saturday.
A feeble western disturbance hit Jammu and Kashmir on Friday night due to which light snowfall occurred in the Gurez area in north Kashmir, they said.
Drass in Ladakh also received very light snowfall but there was no accumulation of snow, they said.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded a 79 per cent rain deficit in December. There was no precipitation in the first week of January as well.
Several parts of the Valley saw a rise in minimum temperatures due to cloudy skies. Night temperatures settled several degrees above the normal for this time of the season.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, a 40-day harsh winter period during which a cold wave sweeps the region and temperatures drop considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies as well as water in pipes.
The chances of snowfall are the highest during this period and most areas, particularly the higher reaches, receive heavy snowfall.
‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ will end on January 31. However, the cold conditions will continue after that with a 20-day ‘Chilla-i-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chilla-i-Bachha’ (baby cold).
