After a prolonged dry spell, the Meteorological Department (MeT) has forecast rains and snow across Jammu and Kashmir beginning Thursday, officials said.
According to advisory, MeT has cautioned about the possibility of heavy rain and snowfall over a few districts along the Pir Panjal range, the Chenab Valley and parts of South Kashmir during the night of January 22–23 and again during the night of January 26–27.
The department has also warned of gusty winds, hailstorms at isolated places and the risk of landslides in vulnerable areas during the wet spell.
Light rain and snowfall is also expected at scattered places across the union Territory on January 24, followed by light rain and snow at a few places on January 25.
The upcoming wet spell is expected to bring much-needed precipitation to the region but may also pose challenges for daily life and transportation, especially in snow-prone and hilly areas. Authorities have advised travelers to plan their journeys carefully and strictly follow traffic and administrative advisories, especially on mountainous routes prone to snowfall and landslides.
Locals have been eagerly waiting for snowfall as this winter has so far remained largely dry.
Meanwhile, the night temperatures across Kashmir remained below freezing at several places. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.4°C last night, compared to minus 3.4°C the preceding night.
Qazigund the gateway to Kashmir settled at minus 3.3°C, hill resort of Pahalgam at minus 3.8°C and Kupwara in north Kashmir at minus 3.0°C.
Colder conditions prevailed in the higher reaches, with ski resort of Gulmarg recording minus 5.0°C, Pulwama minus 4.9°C, and Shopian and Sonamarg both at minus 5.5°C.
MeT officials said maximum day temperatures on Tuesday remained 1–7°C above normal in many parts of Kashmir division and 2–6°C above normal in Jammu division. The minimum night temperatures also stayed 0–3°C above normal at many locations in Kashmir.
