Fresh snowfall in higher reaches of Kashmir
Met forecasts wet weather in Valley
Srinagar: Some places in the higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Saturday, with the Met office forecasting a spell of wet weather in the Valley amid an increase in the minimum temperature, officials said.
The tourist resort town of Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and the upper areas of Gulmarg received light snow, the officials said.
They said there were reports of light snowfall at some other areas in the higher reaches, including Zojila, and Sadhna Top in Kupwara.
Some places in the Valley also received light rain.
Owing to the cloud cover, the minimum temperature at most places in Kashmir, including Srinagar — which had experienced the coldest night of the season on Friday — settled above freezing point, the officials said.
The city recorded a low of 2.5 degrees Celsius, rising from minus 1.2 degrees on Friday.
Qazigund recorded a low of 0.8 degrees Celsius while Pahalgam registered 3.2 degrees.
Gulmarg, a tourist destination famous for skiing, recorded a low of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius while Kupwara registered 2.1 degrees.
In Kokernag in south Kashmir, the night temperature settled at 2.4 degrees Celsius.
The Met office has forecast light rain or snow at scattered to fairly widespread places in the higher reaches of Kashmir on Saturday.
On Sunday, there is a possibility of light rain or snow at isolated places in the higher reaches while the weather will remain mainly dry afterwards till the end of the month, it added.
While there are chances of light rain or snow at scattered to fairly widespread places in the higher reaches on December 1, the weather is likely to stay dry during December 2-5, it said.
Meanwhile, the Gurez-Bandipora road in north Kashmir has been closed to traffic due to snow accumulation at Razdan Top and other areas along the route, officials said on Saturday.
An official said that snowfall occurred in the area this afternoon, leading to the closure of the Gurez-Bandipora road for traffic by the evening due to snow accumulation.
The official advised drivers to avoid travelling on the road until further notice, stating that the closure was implemented as a precautionary measure for public safety.
Notably, several areas in the Gurez Valley received fresh snowfall this afternoon, while the plains experienced rainfall. (with inputs from PTI, KNO)
