Snowfall started in parts of Jammu and Kashmir; mercury plunged to lowest in the ski resort of Gulmarg to settle at -7.5°C, while it was -10.4°C in Leh during the night
Snowfall started in parts of Jammu and Kashmir as another weather system hit the union territory on Sunday.
Jammu and Kashmir’s meteorological (MeT) department said that western disturbance prompted an overcast sky and fresh precipitation in the union territory. The western disturbance is a weather system or winds blowing from the Mediterranean which brings most of the precipitation in Kashmir.
“Snow started at Tral and Jawahar Tunnel (in south Kashmir),” said the director, meteorological department of J&K and Ladakh, Sonam Lotus in a social media post in the afternoon.
In Srinagar, there were light showers during the day as the clouds covered the sky bringing down the day temperatures.
Lotus predicted light snowfall (2-3 Inches) in plains and moderate snowfall (5-6 Inches) over higher reaches most likely from Sunday night till Monday night.
“Some places of higher reaches may receive up to 1ft of snow,” he said.
He said that light to moderate snowfall will be at many places of Kargil and scattered places of Leh district in Ladakh.
“Moderate to heavy snow is most likely on the Zojila-Minamarg axis,” he said.
In Jammu, light to moderate rain was very likely from Sunday night and Monday with light to moderate snowfall over places like Doda-Kistawar, Jawahar Tunnel (Top), and Pirpanjal.
The minimum temperatures in Kashmir fell below zero degrees during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday in all the weather stations of the Valley.
The meteorological department said the mercury plunged to the lowest in the ski resort of Gulmarg to settle at -7.5°C down from -6.5 °C on the night earlier.
The summer capital Srinagar recorded -1.8 °C down from 1.7 °C on Saturday night.
Chilai Kalan, Kashmir’s harshest over 40-day winter period started on December 21 with western disturbance hitting the region and bringing light snowfall in Gulmarg, Tangmarg, Gurez, and Sonamarg mountainous areas on December 23 – 24.
In the mountain resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, the mercury plunged to -3.8 °C during the night. It was -2.8 °C in Konibal, -1.5°C in Kupwara, and -1.2°C in Qazigund.
Jammu’s Banihal recorded a minimum night temperature of 1 °C.
In the union territory of Ladakh, Dras recorded the lowest of -15°C while it was -10.4°C in Leh during the night.
Kashmir’s winter pans out in three stages starting with the harsh period of Chillai Kalan from December 21 which brings most of the snowfall and sub-zero temperatures during the season followed by 20 more days from February 1 which are less intense (Chillai Khurd) and then lastly 10 days of mild cold (Chille Bache).
