Jammu’s temp registers sharp fall
Fayaz Bukhari/Gopal Sharma
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, Nov 2: The higher reaches of Kashmir and parts of Jammu region, including ski resort of Gulmarg, hills of Bhaderwah besides other tourist destinations experienced fresh snowfall of the season, ending dry spell across the State while Srinagar-Leh National Highway and Mughal Road remained closed for second consecutive day today.
The tourist resorts of Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Pahalgam had season’s first snowfall besides hills in Kashmir and parts of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Poonch and Rajouri had fresh snowfall. These places had several inches of snowfall with tourists enjoying by playing with snow.
Most areas in Kokernag in district Anantnag received fresh snowfall this morning. The areas like Sinthantop in Kishtwar, Daksum, Gavran and other upper reaches of district Anantnag received fresh snowfall today while the plain areas of Kokernag, Vailoo, Larnoo and Khreeti received rains.
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A heavy rainfall also lashed the plains of the Valley, forcing people to put on woolen clothes. Due to rain since Thursday evening, most of the roads in Srinagar got inundated in Srinagar thereby leaving the pedestrians to suffer. The heating appliances though out on the markets for sale but several hour long power break down has started irritating people in Valley as rains lashed the plains here since Thursday evening.
Soon after the rains accompanied by strong winds lashed Valley, power supply in most parts was immediately snapped even in Srinagar plunging city centre areas into darkness for hours. The sudden change in the climate brought a slight change in normal life in the upper reaches forcing the people to wear the warm clothes and utilize the heaters in homes.
The Meteorological Department said that light to moderate rain/ snow with isolated heavy falls occurred at most places of Kashmir, Jammu and scattered places of Ladakh. The MET said that there will be gradual improvement in weather from tomorrow and most likely weather will remain dry for next two to three weeks.
The snowfall led to closure of the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh highway for the second day today. Traffic remained suspended on the highway due to several inches of fresh snowfall at Zojila Pass, Meenmarg, Sonamarg and Zero point.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Kashmir, Rural, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah told the Excelsior that it is still snowing in the area due to which road has become very slippery. “The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is already on the job to put through the highway but there around 1.5 feet has accumulated in Zojila area and over six inches in Sonamarg”, he said.
He said that traffic will be resumed only after weather and road condition improves. However, there is also forecast for fresh rain and snow at several places on the highway during the next 24 hours.
Large numbers of Ladakh-bound vehicles, particularly trucks carrying essential commodities and oil tankers, have been stopped at Sonamarg since Thursday. Similarly, Kashmir-bound empty trucks and oil tankers were stranded at several places, including Drass, Kargil and Meenmarg.
The snowfall has also resulted in the blockade on Bandipora-Gurez Road. There was snowfall at Razdhan Pass area which led to closure of the road. Dozens of far-flung and remote villages near the Line of Control, including the border town of Keran, Karnah, Tangdhar and Gurez, were cut off from their respective district headquarters, due to fresh snowfall.
Reports from Poonch said that Mughal Road connecting Rajouri and Poonch with the Kashmir valley as an alternate highway to Kashmir remained closed for the second consecutive day today due to snowfall and slippery road conditions. It said that the landslides at two places on this road could not be cleared even today due to bad weather conditions.
SSP Poonch, Rajiv Pandey said that several vehicles got stranded on the Mughal Road last evening. The Police and Army teams assisted the operators of the trapped vehicles from the snow bound areas and withdraw them from the troubled zones. He said the traffic will be restored only after the clearance of road and improvement in weather. He said more than one feet snowfall has been recorded at Pir-ki-Gali and Poshana area and the road has turned slippery.
SDPO Surankote said that about hundred trucks and other load carriers have been stranded near Pir-ki-Gali, Poshana, Behramgalla on the Mughal Road since Thursday due to snowfall. Over 150 persons stranded on the road were rescued. He said the Army and Police jawans reached the spot and launched rescue operation. Over 65 persons travelling in 11 vehicles were rescued during the night. The truck operators were also provided food and shelter in the nearby Army camp on Mughal Road.
Official sources said that due to rain and snowfall in the higher reaches of Doda, Bhaderwah, Ramban and Kishtwar, there has been sharp fall in the temperature in many parts of Jammu. The people have taken out woolen clothes after a sharp in the temperature ranging from 5-6 degree Celsius was recorded in Jammu areas in last 36 hours.
The Jammu city recorded a maximum of 25 degree Celsius Temperature today against 29.2 degree Celsius on Thursday. A minimum temperature of 15.8 deg C was recorded in Jammu today. Holy township of Katra recorded a maximum 19.9 deg C temperature while hilly resort of Bhaderwah maximum 10.2 deg C and minimum 5.6 deg C temperature and Batote maximum 9.6 deg C and minimum 5.8 Deg C temp today.
Jammu recorded a rainfall of 4.5 mm, Katra 5.8 mm, Banihal 29. 3 mm, Batote 28 mm while Bhaderwah 15 mm during past 24 hours. The MET spokesman has predicted improvement in weather from November 5.
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