Snowfall disrupts road, air traffic in Kashmir

Intermittent snowfall across Kashmir Valley on Saturday disrupted normal life with Srinagar-Jammu national highway remaining closed and air traffic disrupted.

Intermittent snowfall continued in most parts of Kashmir for the second day resulting in the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, only road link between Kashmir and rest of the country, an official said. Traffic movement was suspended in view of heavy snowfall around Jawahar Tunnel.

Flight operation at Srinagar airport also remained disrupted due to poor visibility and accumulation of snow on the runways.

The administration in Kashmir has issued an avalanche warning for nine districts in view of the inclement weather. The deputy commissioners of these districts have been directed to advise people living in avalanche-prone areas not to venture out during the warning period to avoid loss of lives.

An official of the MeT department said the minimum temperatures improved across the state due to night-long cloud cover bringing in some respite from the severe cold wave. The minimum temperature in Srinagar was minus 0.8 degrees Celsius while Jammu city recorded a low of 8.5 degrees Celsius, he said.

World famous skiing resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius while in Pahalgam hill resort of south Kashmir, which also serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra, mercury settled at minus 0.9 degrees.

The official said minimum temperature plummeted to bone-chilling minus 16.2 degrees Celsius in Kargil town of frontier Ladakh region while neighbouring Leh town recorded a low of minus 11.9 degrees.

40-days ‘Chillai-Kalan’, considered the harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum, and the temperature drops considerably, began on December 21 and will end on January 30.