Kashmir Higher Reaches Receive Fresh Snowfall

The higher reaches of the Kashmir Valley, including popular tourist destinations of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, experienced light snowfall, while some plains received rainfall, officials said on Thursday.
The Meteorological Centre has predicted wet weather in the coming days.
The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded 2.5 cm of snowfall and 3.8 mm of rainfall, while Pahalgam in south Kashmir received 2.7 cm of snowfall and 1.8 mm of rainfall overnight, according to the MeT office.
Central Kashmir’s Sonamarg in the Ganderbal district and its surrounding mountain passes were also blanketed in snow, transforming the region into a winter wonderland for tourists. Additionally, the upper reaches of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district received light snowfall, while the plains in the area were lashed with rain.
Meanwhile, the 40-day-long harshest phase of winter, locally known as “Chillai Kalan,” would end tonight . This period, usually characterized by intense cold and frequent snowfall, remained largely dry this year, except for two brief spells of snow.
The MeT office said the weather will generally remain cloudy with the possibility of fairly widespread light to moderate rain, snow and thunderstorm on Thursday.
The weather generally will remain dry and cloudy with the possibility of light rain and snow over the isolated reaches on Friday while another fairly widespread spell of rain and snow is possible on Saturday, the MeT office said.
The wet weather will continue till February 4 with the forecast of widespread rain and snow over  Jammu and Kashmir on February 3.
Meanwhile, the night temperature witnessed a fall again at most of the weather stations following snowfall over the higher catchments in Kashmir valley on Thursday.
The minimum temperature slightly dropped in Srinagar during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday at -1.5 C against the 1.9 C recorded the previous night and this was 0.6 C below normal for the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
The day temperature recorded in Srinagar on Wednesday was 5.8 C above the normal of 7.9 C.
The minimum temperature also plummeted at the tourist resort of Pahalgam to a low of -3.4 C against the-0.8 C and the ski resort of Gulmarg slipped down to a low of -6.5 C against the -2.5 C on the previous night.(Agenciese)