Following intense cold weather conditions for over a week, Kashmir plains finally received the first snowfall of the season, while the higher reaches in the valley received moderate rainfall on Thursday, subsequently improving the night temperatures across most of the Kashmir valley.
The plain areas of Shopian, Pulwama, and Baramulla, as well as the upper reaches of Budgam, Bandipora, and Anantnag, received light snowfall. However, no snowfall activity was reported in Srinagar city till Thursday afternoon.
The higher reaches of the valley, including the tourist resorts of Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Tangmarg, Gurez, and the Zojila Pass, saw light to moderate snowfall.
Due to heavy snowfall on the Zojila pass, the Srinagar-Leh highway was closed to traffic while the Gurez-Bandipora road along with the historical Mughal road remained shut, officials said.
Authorities have deployed men and machinery to clear the snow and restore road traffic, they added.
According to IMD forecasts, there will be a slight improvement in weather conditions from today onwards. The weather is expected to remain dry till December 20.
Apart from the improvement in the day temperatures, improvement has also been noted in the night temperatures across the valley.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius, up from minus 3 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Famous tourist destination and ski resort Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, saw a minimum of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius.
Follow us
