SRINAGAR: Rains and a fresh spell of snow in Kashmir on Tuesday resulted in closure of Srinagar-Jammu highway and briefly affected flight operations at Srinagar Airport.
In Srinagar and south Kashmir, rains and snow started early morning and stopped in the forenoon. It brought respite from acute cold that was prevailing in the Valley for last few days.
At Srinagar Airport, flights could not operate due to low visibility. Of 22 flights, three flights were cancelled as visibility dropped below set norm of 1000 meters, said an official at the Airport.
In the afternoon, however, flight operations resumed with improvement in weather.
Similarly, on Srinagar-Jammu highway vehicular traffic proceeding from Jammu to Srinagar was stopped and not allowed to move from Nagrota in Jammu.
A police official said rains and snow caused slippery conditions on the road. It prompted closure of the highway for vehicular traffic.
He said that only stranded vehicles will be allowed to proceed towards their destination today.
Superintendent of Traffic Police (Rural Kashmir) Muzaffar Ahmad Shah said there was no landslide on the highway but traffic was stopped.
According to him, traffic will be allowed to proceed from Jammu to Srinagar on the highway today.
The meteorological department, meanwhile, said that weather will significantly start improving from today.
Deputy Director meteorological department Dr Mukhtar Ahmad told Kashmir Reader that there will be significant drop in day temperature while night temperature will witness an increase.
Currently, Kashmir is under the 40-day harshest winter spell known as Chillai Kalan during which chances of snow are significantly higher. The coldest spell, which will end on January 31, saw four major snow spells.
Upper reaches in Jammu also received fresh snowfall while rains lashed the plains in the Jammu region where the minimum temperature settled several degrees above season’s average, the meteorological department said on Tuesday.
Snowfall was reported from the high altitude areas of various districts, while rains lashed Jammu city and other areas in the plains since early morning, it said.
“Light to moderate snow and rains are likely to continue till tomorrow (Wednesday) at most places of Jammu and Kashmir and at a few places in Ladakh’s Kargil district with the main activity later this evening,” Director of the Meteorological Department, Sonam Lotus said.
He said this spell is likely to cause more rain or snow in south Kashmir, Pir Panjal area like Banihal-Ramban along Jammu-Srinagar national highway, Poonch and Rajouri and may cause temporary disruption of surface transport connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.

NAZIMA SIDIQ