Kashmir covered by snow blanket; 6.5 degree Celsius recorded in Gulmarg

             Officials in Kashmir reported a heavy period of rain and snowfall in various areas on Saturday (January 22). Rain pelted the lowlands, while the majority of places, including Gulmarg, got new snowfall.

According to a weatherman, Srinagar had 1.6 mm of rain in the previous 24 hours and the temperature measured was 2.3-degree Celsius.

Gulmarg’s famed ski resort received 12 cm of new snow, while the temperature dropped to minus 6.5 degree Celsius. Pahalgam, a tourist destination in south Kashmir, had 3.5 cm of new snow and the temperature dropped to zero. 3.6 cm of rain was reported at Qazigund at the Jawahar tunnel on the Jammu Kashmir national route.

In Ladakh, UT Leh reported a temperature of minus 11.4 degree Celsius, Kargil a temperature of minus 15.0 degree Celsius, and Drass a temperature of minus 11.9 degree Celsius.

The National Weather Service has issued a warning that heavy snowfall on January 22-23 may cause surface and air transit to be temporarily disrupted. A new avalanche warning is also issued in avalanche-prone locations, and people are urged to be careful.