Fresh snowfall in higher reaches, rain in plains

Srinagar: Many areas in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Sunday, while rains lashed the plains, ending the dry spell, officials said.

The minimum temperature improved and stayed above the freezing point at most places in the valley on Saturday night, they said.

Fresh snowfall was recorded at many places in the higher altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the MeT officials said.

They said the famous tourist destinations of Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Kupwara and Gurez recorded light to moderate snowfall.

Light snow was recorded in Drass-Kargil areas on the Srinagar-Leh highway.

The plain areas of the valley and the Jammu region were lashed by rains, while some areas such as Poonch and Udhampur received hailstorm, the officials said.

The MeT office has forecast widespread light rain in plains and snowfall over the hilly areas in Kashmir and light rain with thunder at scattered places of Jammu region.

The weather is expected to improve from Sunday night, it said.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature rose across Kashmir and settled above the freezing point at most places of the valley on Saturday night.

Srinagar recorded a low of 0.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday night up from minus 0.7 degrees Celsius the previous night, the officials said.

They said Pahalgam, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of 2.7 degrees Celsius, up from minus 2 degrees Celsius 24 hours earlier.

Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius and was the only place in the valley where the mercury stayed below the freezing point.

The mercury in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of 1.6 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, recorded 3.4 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag recorded a low of 2.3 degrees Celsius.