Dry weather in Kashmir; may witness rains, snow from Tue: MeT

Srinagar, Feb 22: The weather in Kashmir today largely remained dry but the meteorological department has said the Valley may witness fresh spell of rains or snowfall in the coming days.

"There are chances of light rain and snow at isolated places over the state today, while widespread rains or snow would occur from Feb 24 onward," a MeT department spokesman said.

Kashmir witnessed five days of rains and snow last week. He said Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of 3.9 degree Celsius.

The minimum temperature in Gulmarg, a famous Ski-resort in north Kashmir and star attraction for tourists especially skiers from abroad, settled at minus 1.6 degrees Celsius - slightly up from yesterday's minus 2.0 deg C, he said.

Mercury in Pahalgam hill resort in south, which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, settled at a low of 0.6 deg C, as compared to 0.2 deg C yesterday, he said.

Minimum temperature in Qazigund on Srinagar-Jammu national highway saw a rise of over a degree from 1.4 deg C the previous night to 2.6 deg C.

Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, registered the minimum temperature of 3 deg C – nearly two degrees up from yesterday's 0.9 deg C, while in Kupwara, in north Kashmir, mercury went down by a degree from 2.8 deg C to a low of 1.7 deg C, the spokesman said.

Leh, a frontier town in Ladakh region, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius while nearby Kargil town minus 8.0 degree Celsius and was the coldest recorded place in the state, he said.

Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir has issued a medium danger avalanche warning in avalanche prone areas of eight districts of Kashmir division.

Avalanche warning has been issued in Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara, Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Ganderbal and Kargil districts of Kashmir Division, an official spokesman said.

People in these areas have been advised to temporarily evacuate those locations which fall under the line of avalanches.

PTI