Severe heat wave continues; MeT issues ‘Orange, Yellow’ alert

Srinagar : As the intense heatwave continued to engulf Jammu and Kashmir, the weatherman here has predicted ‘orange and yellow’ alerts for the next six days, forecasting isolated heatwave with the possibility of gusty winds till June 19.
MeT Office on Friday said that there is a possibility of dry and hot weather conditions for the next 24 hours as the mercury continues to settle above normal across Jammu and Kashmir.
Weather forecasts reveal that, except on June 17, an isolated heat wave with the possibility of gusty winds is expected in Jammu and Kashmir till June 19.
The orange alert has been issued for Saturday, while the yellow alert has been sounded for June 15 & 16 and June 18 & 19.
Light rains in the late afternoon brought slight respite from the scorching heat in Srinagar and elsewhere.
According to the reports, amid the cloudy weather conditions, the light rains occurred at multiple places in Srinagar, bringing respite to the people from the intense heatwave.
Director Meteorological department (MeT), Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said that brief spells of light rain and thundershower at isolated to scattered places, accompanied with thunder and gusty winds, are expected from Saturday, June 16.
“There is a forecast of hot and dry weather conditions between June 17 to June 20,” he said, adding that generally cloudy with intermittent spells of rain and thundershower are expected at many places from June 21 to June 23.
Meanwhile, in its advisory, the MeT has predicted a heat wave at isolated to scattered places of J&K during the next two days, appealing people to take sufficient fluid, water, and avoid outdoor activities during peak intensity (12 noon to 4 pm). Farmers, however, have been advised to continue farm operations. Moreover, the maximum temperatures continued to settle above normal.
Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K, has recorded a maximum temperature of 32.4 degrees Celsius, while Jammu City recorded a maximum temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund, a gateway of Kashmir, recorded a day temperature of 32.8 degrees Celsius. Kokernag recorded a day temperature of 31.8 degrees Celsius while the mercury at Gulmarg, a famous ski resort, settled at 23.0 degrees Celsius.
In Pahalgam, the mercury settled at 28.2 degrees Celsius while Kupwara recorded 31.9 degrees Celsius.
Similarly, Katra recorded a maximum temperature of 39.5 degrees Celsius while Banihal, Batote and Bhaderwah recorded a maximum temperature of 31.8 degrees Celsius, 31.6 degrees Celsius and 30.8 degrees Celsius, respectively