As the Kashmir Valley sees another fresh spell of snowfall, the second in 15 days, flight services were severely impacted in the region due to dense fog. Airport authorities rescheduled the morning flights till 12 noon; after that, flights were resumed. Surface transport was also affected due to the adverse weather conditions. The Jammu Kashmir National Highway was opened for traffic, but Mughal Road, Sinthan Road, Zojila Pass, and Gurez Road remained closed for vehicular traffic.

The Kashmir Valley witnessed another fresh snowfall, with various regions receiving significant snow accumulation. Meanwhile, the higher reaches of the valley, including mountainous areas, hill stations like Gulmarg , Sonamarg witnessed heavier snowfall, exceeding 20 inches. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has already predicted a western disturbance from January 4 to 6 in the afternoon.

The current Western Disturbance is intensified yesterday afternoon, bringing heavy snowfall to the higher reaches of North Kashmir, higher reaches of Ganderbal district, the Sonmarg-Pahalgam axis, and the Zojila-Drass-Minimarg axis and weather will improve from today evening but there will be drop in temperatures and till 15th of January weather will remain cold and dry. 

Speaking on the snowfall in the Kashmir valley, IMD scientist Mukhtar Ahmad said that we had already predicted the snowfall, and North Kashmir received the maximum of it and the weather will improve from this evening; however, there will be a fall in night temperatures. He added that there will be dry weather till 15th January, then another western disturbance is expected.

Amid severely low temperatures during the ongoing ‘Chillai Kalan’ winter phase in Kashmir, widespread snowfall has brought cheers among tourists, especially in places like Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and other tourist spots and on the banks of Dal Lake. These places have turned into a winter wonderland for tourists.

Akash Trivedi, a tourist from Rajasthan, said, “This was our last day here. from 1st of January we are here, and we were waiting for snowfall and yesterday it happened we enjoyed it for hours we were at Lal Chowk near clock tower, and it was snowing, it was like dream coming true”.

Kashmir witnessed a sharp fall in temperature due to recent snowfall. Srinagar remained in the grip of an intense cold wave with a maximum temperature of just 0.5 degrees Celsius. Night temperatures too have fallen. Gulmarg recorded minus 4.5 degrees, and Pahalgam recorded minus 1.4 degrees. Jammu & Kashmir is going through a 40-day harsh winter period called the ‘Chillai Kalan.’ And now, the IMD has predicted a 4-5°C drop in nighttime temperatures in the region in the coming days.

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