Srinagar, Nov 11: Following snowfall in higher elevations and widespread rains on the plains, weather conditions improved in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, resulting in a drop in temperature and the closure of several roads. The Meteorological Department in Srinagar forecasts dry weather in the region for the next 24 hours.
The sky remained cloudy, with cold conditions prevailing in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley. While higher reaches experienced snowfall, the plains were lashed by widespread rains on Friday, contributing to the decrease in temperature.
Due to the snowfall, several roads, including Razdan Pass, Zojila Pass, Kishtwar-Anantnag Road, Mughal, Phirkiyan Gali, Machil, Sadna Top, and Srinagar-Sonamarg Road, were closed for traffic. The J&K Traffic Police reported that traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway and Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road, connecting Ladakh, has been restored and is moving normally.
However, the historical Mughal road connecting south Kashmir’s Shopian district with the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu division remained closed due to snow accumulation. Snow clearance operations on other remote routes are currently in progress.
According to the Meteorological Office, the minimum temperature recorded in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, was 4.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with 9.2mm of rainfall till 0830 hours. Other temperature and rainfall recordings include Qazigund (3.6 degrees Celsius, 31.4mm rainfall), Pahalgam (2.2 degrees Celsius, 7.2mm rainfall), Kupwara (4.2 degrees Celsius, 29.8mm rainfall), Kokernag (6.2 degrees Celsius, 5.8mm rainfall), and Gulmarg (-1.5 degrees Celsius, 22.2mm rainfall).
