Fog in Srinagar, flights hit

Srinagar, Nov 24: Morning fog on Tuesday adversely affected life in Srinagar and other places in the Valley, forcing suspension of air traffic.

Fog covered Srinagar on Tuesday morning, with visibility dropping to just a few feet.

"All incoming and outgoing flights from Srinagar international airport have been suspended today morning due to poor visibility. The situation will be reviewed in the afternoon," an official at the airport told IANS in Srinagar.

All flights to and from the Valley were cancelled on Monday because of intense fog.

Motorists and commuters preferred to remain indoors in the morning fearing accidents on roads blanketed by fog.

School children waited for buses outside their homes in the city as traffic was delayed due to foggy weather in Srinagar and all other districts of the Valley.

Sonam Lotus, director of the local weather office said: "Intense morning fog is likely to continue tomorrow as well. We are expecting a Western Disturbance (WD) on November 26 and November 27. Foggy weather conditions will end due to light rain expected on November 26 and 27."

Traffic department officials have issued advisories to travelers on Srinagar-Jammu national highway and other roads that have heavy traffic to exercise extreme caution to avoid accidents.

Lotus said the minimum temperature in Srinagar city was 0.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

"It was 1.1 in Pahalgam, -2.6 in Gulmarg, - 6.4 in Kargil, - 5.8 in Leh, 9.9 in Jammu, 6.6 in Batote, 1.0 in Bannihal, 2.8 in Bhaderwah and 1.8 in Katra town today (Tuesday)," Lotus said.

IANS