Kashmir plains receive season’s maiden snowfall, dry spell ends

Srinagar : Snowfall finally put an end to the prolonged dry spell in Kashmir on Friday with the weatherman predicting more precipitation across J&K till Saturday.
The snowfall led to the cancellation of six flights and the closure of several major roads across the Valley.
Under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance (WD), the southern districts of Kashmir received moderate snowfall intermittently throughout the day.
Multiple places including several parts of South Kashmir and Central Kashmir, including Srinagar, received season’s first snowfall.
The parts of Doda, Ramban, and Kishtwar also received snowfall while the rains lashed the plains across Jammu.
As per the details, two inches of snowfall was recorded in Srinagar while the highest accumulation till this evening was recorded at Peer Ki Gali, Sinthan Top, Baltal Pahalgam where nearly 10-12 inches of snow accumulated.
At Chiranbal Kulgam, 8 inches of snow accumulated while Qazigund recorded 5 inches, Main town Kulgam 4 inches, Main town Shopian 3 inches, Mir Bazar Kulgam 4 inches, Anantnag 3 inches, Hakura Anantnag 5 inches and Dialgam Anantnag 5 inches.
The snowfall was continuing at multiple places when this report was filed.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Police issued multiple advisories in different districts, asking people to contact directly in case of any assistance.
Roads Closed: The snowfall disrupted traffic, leading to the suspension of movement on several key routes, including Srinagar-Jammu Highway, Mughal Road, Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri (SSG), Gurez, Zojila, and Sinthan Pass.
The authorities closed the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, Mughal Road and SSG Road as a precautionary measure.
An official said that Sinthan Pass along NH-244 has been closed for all vehicular movement until further notice due to heavy snowfall. Snow clearance operations will commence soon, he said.
The official added that other roads, including Gurez, Zojila, and Mughal Road, have also been closed by the administration. Meanwhile, another official stated that the Karnah road is expected to be closed by evening.
Flights Canceled: Furthermore, the snowfall also led to the cancellation of flight operations in Srinagar. Director Srinagar International Airport, Javed Anjum said that six flights were canceled following the inclement weather conditions.
Moreover, the ongoing weather conditions are expected to prevail till Saturday.
Director Meteorological (MeT) department, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said that generally cloudy with light rain over plains of Jammu & light snow over Chenab Valley & Pirpanjal Range is expected till tomorrow.
He said that light snow over middle & upper reaches particularly over South & Central Kashmir is expected to continue.
From December 29 to 31st, there is a forecast of generally dry weather, he said, adding that on January 1& 2, generally cloudy weather with possibility of light snow is expected at isolated places while from January 3 to 5, generally cloudy with possibility of light snow at isolated to scattered places is expected, he said