Srinagar: There was a slight dusting of snow on Kashmir’s mountains and light rainfall in the plains, finally putting an end to the extended dry period of the last two months.
Residents were pleased to see snow on the once dry slopes and tree tops in higher elevations, while the lower areas experienced a gentle soaking from the light rains in certain parts of the Himalayan valley.
Gulmarg, the ski resort in north Kashmir, reported mild to moderate snowfall throughout the morning. This brought a welcome relief from the dry conditions of the winter, transforming the brown and sun-bleached meadows into a picturesque scene with a thin layer of white snow covering them.
Night temperature recorded a significant increase amid cloudy cover on Monday, the last day of the 40-day harsh period of winter, Chillai-Kalan.
Except Gulmarg, which received 10cm of snowfall in the last 24 hours till 0830 hours, all places in Jammu and Kashmir recorded above freezing point temperature, a meteorological department official said.
He said Srinagar, which received 1.1mm of rain in the last 24 hours, recorded a low of 3.6% against 3.3% on previous night and it was 4.6 below normal for this time of the year.
Qazigund recorded a minimum of 2.0% against minus 0.6% on the previous night, he said. The minimum temperature was 4.6% above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, the MeT official said.
Pahalgam, which had 2 mm of rain, recorded a low of 0.7% against minus 0.6% on the previous night and it was 6.8% above normal for the famous resort in south Kashmir. Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum of 0.5% against minus 0.1% on the previous night and the temperature was above normal by 3.1% for the place, the official said.Kupwara town in north Kashmir, which had 9.8mm of rain, recorded a low of 0.5% against 2.1% on the previous night and it was 4.2% above normal there, the official said.
Gulmarg, the official said, recorded a low of minus 3.2% against minus 3.5% on the previous night and the temperature was 4.3% above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir.
