Kashmir Valley is bracing for a major snowfall tomorrow that may disrupt surface and air transport, officials said on Wednesday.
The Meteorological Centre Srinagar has already issued an advisory in view of the forecast of heavy snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, cautioning about the disruption of surface and air transport.
The weather will remain partly cloudy with light snow over isolated higher reaches on Wednesday.
The MeT centre said an active Western disturbance is most likely to affect J&K and adjoining areas from February 29 evening/night onwards and can cause widespread moderate rain/snow in Jammu and Kashmir night/early morning of March 1 and till the afternoon of March 3, with its peak activity on March 2.
“The above system is most likely to cause heavy to very heavy rain or snow over the Pirpanjal Range of Jammu Division and the middle and higher reaches of Kashmir Division, including Anantnag-Pahalgam, Kulgam, Sinthan Pass, Shupiyan-Pir Ki Gali, Sonamarg-Zojila, Bandipora-Razdan Pass, Gulmarg, and Kupwara-Sachna Pass,” it said.
The weather activity may lead to disruption of surface and air transport, including the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and other major roads in the middle and higher reaches of J&K.
People living in snow-bound areas have been asked to avoid venturing into sloppy and avalanche-prone areas.
There are chances of landslides, mudslides, and shooting stones, most likely over the vulnerable areas. Farmers have also been advised to withhold all farm operations during the first week of March, it added.
Kashmir witnessed a prolonged dry spell this year. But in recent weeks, the valley has received two significant spells of snowfall.
Meanwhile, nighttime temperatures improved in Kashmir Valley and stayed above normal in all major stations on Wednesday.
The MeT office said that the minimum temperature during the intervening nights of Tuesday and Wednesday in Srinagar was recorded at 4.5 °C, against the 1.0°C recorded the previous night. It was 3.0°C above normal for the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
Qazigund on Srinagar-Jammu national had a low of 2.0.2, and Kokernag in south Kashmir settled at 1.1°C recorded the previous night.
The minimum temperature at Gulmarg improved but remained the coldest place, with a low of -5.6°C against -6.4°C the previous night. It was 0.2°C above normal for the famous ski resort of North Kashmir.
The mercury at the tourist resort of Pahalgam settled at -2.6°C against the -1.3°C recorded the previous night, and it was 1.6°C above normal for the tourist hot spot of south Kashmir.
Kupwara also had a low of 1.0°C against 0.4°C, and it was 1.0°C above normal for the frontier north Kashmir district on Wednesday, the MeT office said.
