Kashmir receives season’s first snowfall

The upper reaches of Kashmir received the first light snowfall of the season on Sunday night, resulting in a chill in the plains which received moderate rainfall.

Reports said the upper reaches in the valley, including Amarnath cave shrine and its periphery besides Sheshnag, Mahaguns, Pisso top, Panjtarni and other heights in Pahalgam, Kangdoori in Gulmarg received light snowfall.

Light snowfall was also received at Zojila on Srinagar-Leh highway, connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir.

However, the Srinagar-Leh and Srinagar-Jammu national highways remained open for vehicular traffic. The upper heights in Sonmarg and Baltal, base camp of Amarnath cave, also received snowfall.

The snowfall brought down both the night and day temperatures in the Valley. A MeT department official said minimum temperatures dropped across Kashmir with Srinagar recording a minimum temperature of 9.8 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam 6.7 and ski-resort Gulmarg 1.5.

As a cold breeze from the snow-clad mountains plummeted temperature, people were forced to put on woolen clothes, including the traditional pheran (Kashmiri gown).

Meanwhile, people were seen looking for heating gadgets in Srinagar markets. The sale of heating appliances, kangris (local heaters), woolens and blankets have picked up in the market.

The MeT office has predicted isolated light rain or thundershowers across Jammu and Kashmir in the next 24 hours.