Lift temp in Valley; Srinagar records warmest night this winter
Srinagar: Widespread rain in the plains and fresh snowfall in the upper reaches on Sunday brought an end to the prolonged dry spell in Kashmir. It also pushed up the minimum temperature in Valley, with Srinagar recording its warmest night this winter, officials said here.
At 4 degrees Celsius, the minimum temperature in Srinagar on Sunday was six notches above normal, even as the higher reaches of Kashmir witnessed snowfall and the plains rain as ‘Chillai-Kalan’, the 40-day harshest winter period, brought much-needed respite for the people of the Valley after a prolonged dry spell, an official of the local meteorological department said.
The rise in minimum temperature was due to overcast skies in the region, he said.
Several high-altitude and tourist destinations, including the ski resort of Gulmarg, Gurez and Sadna Top, received fresh snowfall, marking the onset of active winter conditions after an unusually dry period.
Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the only weather station to record a sub-zero temperature as the mercury settled at minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, 5 degrees above normal for this time of the year.
The rest of the weather stations, including Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, recorded minimum temperatures between 2.5 degrees Celsius and 3.8 degrees Celsius.
The Meteorological Department said intermittent rain and snowfall are likely to continue over the next few days.
The fresh spell of precipitation has brought relief to the Valley, where the extended dry phase had raised concerns over water availability and impacted winter tourism.
The Mughal Road, connecting Shopian in Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu, was temporarily closed as a precautionary measure. Several other key routes, including the Srinagar–Sonamarg–Gumri (SSG) Road, Sinthan Road and the Bandipora–Gurez road were also shut.