Srinagar: Rain and snow lashed Kashmir on Friday while the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for heavy to heavy snow in J&K. “IMD issues Red Colour (be vigilant) weather warning for J&K for January 7,” an official of the MeT office in Srinagar informed.
It was snowing at most places in Kashmir and in hilly areas of Jammu, while raining at a few places in Jammu region, when this report was filed late in the evening.
“Expect further increase in rain/snow intensity as the day progresses with main intensity of heavy to very heavy rain/snow during 7th (night) and January 8th,” the MeT official said. “There would be gradual improvement from January 9th morning onwards in J&K.”
Earlier, the weatherman had issued an Orange warning for January 8th. There are four types of colour codes signifying the level of caution: green, which means no action, yellow—situation to be watched), amber –government agencies need to be prepared for severe weather, and red –action needed by the agencies.
The MeT official said that the weather system may affect surface and air transportation, mainly on Saturday. “It may cause avalanche/landslide in vulnerable spots,” he said.
The MeT office has urged people not to venture in avalanche prone areas, follow traffic advisory seriously, and maintain proper ventilation of their rooms.
In charge of the Meteorological Department in Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad, said that both plains and hilly areas received moderate rain and snowfall since Friday afternoon. “This will continue till Saturday, and improvement will be seen from Sunday,” he said.
As soon as the weather started to get wet, air traffic was suspended. Kuldeep Singh, the Director of Srinagar Airport, said six flights were cancelled, while 31 operated. Saturday’s flights are subject to weather conditions, he said.
Ahmad said there is much possibility of flights getting cancelled on Saturday as there will be poor visibility.
Traffic on Srinagar Jammu Highway was also suspended after 3 PM when landslides occurred at Ramban. An official said that all the stranded vehicle were cleared till 3 PM but as soon as the landslides occurred, the traffic was suspended. The removal of the debris is in process, he added.
“The stranded vehicles have now been taken to safer places. The job to allow them passage remains on,” he added.
Kashmir University also cancelled exams scheduled on Saturday, which include undergraduate, post-graduate, and professional exams.
While there was disruption, people in Srinagar enjoyed the snowfall. They went live on social media sites, putting their pictures, and welcomed the snowfall.
An improvement in temperature was also seen. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of 2.6 degrees Celsius, up from 0.3 degrees Celsius on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, officials said.
However, Gulmarg, the famous skiing resort in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 5.5 degrees Celsius compared to the previous night’s 3.5 degrees Celsius.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz