Light snow brushes parts of south Kashmir plains as temperatures edge up

Srinagar, Jan 7: Parts of the plains in south Kashmir witnessed a brief spell of light snowfall on Tuesday evening as temperatures across the Valley registered a modest rise.

Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, several notches higher than the minus 4 degrees logged the previous night. Despite the improvement, cold conditions continued to prevail, especially in the higher reaches.

The tourist resort of Sonamarg remained the coldest place in the Valley, recording a low of minus 10.1 degrees Celsius. Qazigund saw a marked improvement, settling at 0.1 degrees compared with minus 3.0 degrees a day earlier. Pahalgam, however, cooled further to minus 7.2 degrees from minus 6.8 degrees the previous night. Gulmarg also remained intensely cold at minus 7.6 degrees, though marginally warmer than the minus 8.6 degrees recorded earlier.

Several areas registered noticeable overnight improvement. Pampore and Kulgam recorded minimum temperatures of 1.0 degree, up from minus 3.0 degrees and minus 0.2 degrees respectively. Srinagar airport logged minus 2.2 degrees, improving from minus 4.8 degrees, while Anantnag rose sharply to minus 0.7 degrees from minus 5.6 degrees.

However, parts of south and north Kashmir continued to reel under sub-zero conditions, including Pulwama at minus 5.1 degrees, Shopian at minus 4.3 degrees and Kupwara at minus 3.6 degrees.

Residents of Anantnag, Shopian, Pulwama and Kulgam districts said the snowfall was limited to a thin film or a few flakes on Tuesday evening, with little or no accumulation in the plains.

“It snowed briefly, offering only a fleeting wintry touch,” said Abdul Rasheed, a resident of Shopian.

Similar accounts were reported from Pulwama, while residents of Kokernag in Anantnag district echoed the same observations.

The upper reaches of these districts, including parts of Kulgam, received between one and two inches of snow.

The Meteorological Department has forecast mainly dry weather in the coming days, indicating no major precipitation despite the continued grip of winter cold across the region. “Dry weather conditions are likely to continue till January 22,” an official said.