Srinagar: Kashmir is expected to receive ‘heavy’ snow and rains with the weather department predicting colder days and warmer nights because of cloud cover, said an official of the meteorological centre in Srinagar.
According to the MeT centre, heavy snowfall is expected at some places in Kashmir from January 5 and 6. The expected erratic weather may hit surface and air traffic.
He said that today, weather is generally cloudy in Ladakh and hazy in J&K and as per today’s analysis, widespread snow and rain spell of moderate intensity are most likely during January 4-6 in both Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh with main activity on January 5 and 6.
“Heavy snow is expected at some places during 5-6th, which may affect surface and air traffic. Light snow is expected over higher reaches of Kashmir during 2-3rd January,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature improved across Kashmir on Friday providing slight relief from the intense cold conditions.
Srinagar recorded the minimum temperature of minus 3.0 degrees Celsius on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 9.0 degrees Celsius — up from minus 9.6 degrees the previous night.
Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius up from minus 8.9 degrees Celsius the previous night.
They said Qazigund recorded the minimum of minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, while the nearby south Kashmir town of Kokernag recorded a low of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius.
The mercury at Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of the 40-day harshest winter period known as ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ which began on December 21.
It is a period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably, leading to the freezing of water bodies, including the famous Dal Lake here, as well as the water supply lines in several parts of the valley.
The chances of snowfall are the most frequent and maximum during this period and most areas, especially in the higher reaches, receive heavy to very heavy snowfall.
The Chilla-i-Kalan will end by the end of January but the cold wave will continue with a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).