Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Dec 13: Kashmir valley is under a grip of cold wave with temperatures falling below freezing point and Gulmarg being the coldest at minus 9.2 degree Celsius.
Despite plummeting of temperature, hills received fresh snowfall, however, Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is open for traffic but the Mughal Road and Srinagar-Leh National Highway continue to remain closed.
Icy winds were blowing across Kashmir today with people preferring to stay indoors as the temperatures fell several notches below normal.
The Leh in Ladakh region recorded the coldest night of the season with mercury plummeting to minus 12.5 degree Celsius. However, maximum day temperature was recorded at 2.7 degrees Celsius.
The night temperature in Leh last night was down by seven degrees over previous night’s temperature of minus 4.6 degree Celsius. Last night was the coldest of the season in Leh so far and the previous coldest night was recorded at 9.9 degree Celsius on December 2.
The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg, in North Kashmir, registered a minimum temperature of minus 9.2 degr-ees, an increase of over a degree from the previous night’s minus 10.6 deg-rees. The previous night was the coldest of the season so far at the resort. The day temperature was recorded at minus 2.6 degree Celsius which is eight degrees below normal.
Srinagar recorded a low temperature of minus 0.8 degrees as against 0.6 degrees the previous night. The day temperature was recorded at 5.8 degree Celsius which is three degrees below the normal temperature.
The mercury in the famous tourist resort of Pahalgam went up by over two degrees from the previous night’s minus 6.5 degrees to settle at a low temperature of minus 4.3 degrees. The day temperature at Pahalgam was recorded at 3.3 degree Celsius which is five degree below normal.
The night temperatures also increased in the Kupwara and Kokernag towns, where the minimum settled at minus 2.5 degrees and minus 0.1 degrees, respectively. The day temperatures at these two places were recorded at 5.6 degree Celsius and 1.9 degree Celsius respectively. The day temperatures were six and eight degrees below normal respectively.
At Qazigund night temperature was 0.8 degree Celsius and the day temperature settled at 3.0 degree Celsius which is seven degree below normal.
In Jammu the day temperature settled at 18. 8 degree Celsius which is two degrees below normal while night temperature settled at 8.5 degree Celsius.
The MeT office said there were traces of snowfall in some areas in the higher reaches and it has forecast mainly dry weather over the next few days.
The Jawahar Tunnel area of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway received fresh snowfall today and Patnitop and Chenani received rains. The fresh snowfall at Jawahar Tunnel area led to slippery road condition, however, two-way traffic continued to ply on the highway.
A Traffic official said that two-way traffic will ply on the highway tomorrow with timing restrictions due to slippery road conditions.
The official said that from Nagrota in Jammu, Srinagar bound passenger vehicles will be allowed to move only between 6 AM to 1 PM while heavy vehicles will be permitted only between 6.30 AM to 11. 30 AM. “No Srinagar bound passenger vehicle will be permitted to cross Udhampur (Jekhani Chowk) after 2.30 PM while no heavy vehicle will be permitted after 1.30 PM”, the official said.
The official said that from Qazigund, light motor vehicles shall be permitted to move towards Jammu only between 8. 30 AM to 3 PM while heavy vehicles between 9 AM to 2 PM.
The officials said that due to accumulation of snow at many places of road between Pir Ki Gali and Shopian, movement of traffic on Mughal Road will remain suspended till further orders. No vehicle will be allowed beyond Heerpora from Shopian side and at Behramgalla and Chandimarh from Poonch side.
Srinagar-Leh National Highway remained closed for movement of traffic with vehicles stopped at Sonamarg on Srinagar side and at Drass on Kargil side.
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