SRINAGAR/JAMMU, Dec 8: With snowfall on the higher reaches, including the famous ski resort of Gulmarg, the cold wave conditions further intensified in the Kashmir valley while the fresh snowfall at Pir Ki Gali and its adjoining areas also shut the historic Mughal Road in Shopian and Sinthan Road.
The snowfall brought joy to tourists visiting Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, creating picturesque views at the renowned destination. However, the fresh snowfall also resulted in the closure of the historic Mughal Road, which connects Shopian in south Kashmir to the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu, along with the Sinthan Road in Kishtwar.Official sources said that keeping in view the safety of passengers, Mughal Road has been precautionary closed for traffic movement and the vehicles plying on this road were stopped at Behramgala and Hirpora on Shopian side. Deputy SP Traffic Rajouri-Poonch, Shiv Kumar and Incharge Police Post Behramgala Sohan Singh said that as predicted by the concerned department, fresh snowfall occurred at Pir Ki Gali and authorities have now closed the road following snowfall. The road will be opened after improvement in weather and clearance of snow, they added.
Reports of snowfall also received from various areas, including Machhil and Bangus Valley in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district and the upper reaches of Bandipora district. The mountainous passes of the Pir Panjal range, such as Peer Ki Gali, recorded six inches of snow, while Sinthan Top received 5-6 inches. Other areas, including Doodhpatri, Gulmarg, and Baltal, witnessed 4-5 inches, 2-3 inches and 5 inches of snowfall, respectively.
The Meteorological Department in Srinagar forecasted generally cloudy weather with chances of light rain in parts of the plains and hilly areas of Jammu division, along with light rain and snow in some higher regions of Kashmir from December 8 to 9 forenoon. Another Western Disturbance is expected to bring light rain or snow to a few areas of Kashmir on December 12, although the weather is anticipated to remain mostly dry until December 17.
The cold intensified across the region, with Gulmarg remaining the coldest spot despite a slight improvement in its night temperature, which settled at -3.4°C. Srinagar had a low of minus 0.5°C against the minus 2.0°C recorded on Saturday and this was 0.1°C above normal for the place during this period of the season. The mercury at Pahalgam settled at minus 2.8°C today against the minus 4.3°C recorded the previous night and this was normal for the place.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 1.0°C against the minus 2.4°C a day ago and it was 0.3°C below normal for place. Kokernag recorded a low of 0.4°C against the minus 2.2°C the previous night and this was 1.0°C above normal for the picnic spot. The night temperature at the border district of Kupwara significantly improved and recorded at 0.4°C today against the minus 3.6°C recorded the previous night. This was 1.9°C above normal for the frontier place during this period of the season.
In Jammu region, Banihal experienced the coldest night at 0.2°C, while Bhaderwah recorded 0.4°C, Batote 3.2°C, Katra 8.0°C, and Jammu city registered a minimum of 8.7°C.
The daytime temperatures dipped across several locations due to a partly cloudy sky. Banihal’s maximum temperature dropped to 11.6°C from 14°C the previous day, while Batote recorded a high of 12.7°C compared to the earlier 15.2°C. Similarly, Jammu city recorded a maximum of 20.5°C, and Katra and Bhaderwah recorded highs of 17.3°C and 12.0°C, respectively, all below their usual levels for this season.
