Weather likely to remain same till Feb end, but with little chances of rain, snow: MeT

Srinagar: Weather conditions for the second consecutive day remained grey and cloudy in Kashmir Valley, though essential services disrupted by Wednesday’s heavy snowfall were largely restored. The weather officer said that the coming days until the end of February are likely going to remain the same with some chances of intermittent light rainfall in plain areas and snowfall in upper reaches.
According to Srinagar Airport Director Kuldeep Singh, 38 flights were operated on Thursday while eight were cancelled due to bad weather. On Wednesday, all the scheduled flights were cancelled due to continuous snowfall.
Singh said that visibility in the morning was weak, but got better in the day, resulting in the operation of flights. He said passengers of all the cancelled flights would be accommodated in the next available flight and no charges will be levied in case of rescheduling. Passengers also have the option of refund, he said.
On Srinagar-Jammu highway, light motor vehicles will be allowed from both sides on Friday, subject to the condition of fair weather, an official said. Stranded vehicles would be allowed towards Jammu, while vehicles coming from Srinagar will first have to check the status of the highway, the official said.
The Mughal Road, Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road, and Kishtwar-Sinthan road remain closed, the official said.
Power supply has largely been restored by the power department, its Managing Director Basharat Qayoom told Kashmir Reader. He said that 90 percent of the disrupted power supply has been restored across Kashmir Valley. At Kulgam where there was major damage, out of 57 feeders, 16 have been restored on emergency basis while work on the rest is on. “Hopefully, the rest will be done by tomorrow if all goes well,” he said.
“Overall, the power has been restored, 98 percent in Srinagar is done while 90 percent elsewhere,” he said.
In charge of the Meteorological Department in Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad, told Kashmir Reader that there will be more cloudy weather but less rain and snow in the coming week. “On February 27 and 28, chances of sunny weather are also seen in the system. There may be some disturbance again in the first week of March,” he said.
“There is no major change in the system in the coming days,” he added.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz