Wet weather brings respite in Valley

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Jan 27: The hills in Kashmir today received fresh snowfall during the night, while some areas in the Valley received light rains and Meteorological department predicted a wet spell over the next few days.
There was light snowfall in Gulmarg and Pahalgam during the night and hills across Kashmir including Peer Ki Gali on Mughal Road in Shopian, Sonamarg and other such places in the upper reaches of the Valley.
The snowfall, along with rains, which first began during the day yesterday in many areas, broke the long dry spell in Kashmir which had resulted in the night temperature hovering several degrees below the freezing point and also led to increase in common ailments like cough and cold.
The wet weather led to improvement in the minimum temperature at most places in the Valley giving people respite from intense cold.
The mercury in Srinagar rose over a degree from the previous night’s 1 degree Celsius to settle at a low of 2.2 degree Celsius. The day temperature was recorded at 10.7 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature in the city stayed above the freezing point for the second consecutive night after remaining below zero degree Celsius for more than a fortnight.
The night temperature in Qazigund, also went up from minus 2.3 degree Celsius of the previous night to settle above the freezing point at a low of 0.8 degree Celsius. The day temperature was recorded at 11.4 degree Celsius.
The mercury also marked an improvement in Kupwara town in north Kashmir which recorded the minimum of 1.7 degree Celsius compared to the previous night’s minus 3.1 degree Celsius. The day temperature of the border town was recorded at 9 degree Celsius.
Kokernag, in South, registered a low of minus 1.4 degree Celsius and the day temperature settled at 9.8 degree Celsius.
A MeT official forecast cloudy sky with maximum and minimum temperatures will settle at around 10 degree Celsius and minus 4 degree Celsius respectively.