Srinagar records season's 1st snowfall, cold weather conditions prevail in Hry & Punjab

Srinagar/Jaipur/New Delhi: Srinagar and other areas in the Kashmir plains received light snowfall, the season's first, on Thursday while moderate snow broke the dry spell in the Valley's higher reaches, officials said.

Most of the plains in the Valley, including Srinagar, received light snowfall from late in the afternoon, they said. The snowfall was continuing when the last reports came in.

Other areas in the higher reaches of the Kashmir Valley received moderate snow, the officials said.

Reports of snowfall were received from the ski resort town of Gulmarg, Gurez, Bandipora and Kupwara in north Kashmir as well as many areas in central and south Kashmir.

Thursday's snowfall broke the dry spell in Kashmir, which is currently under the grip of 'Chilla-i-Kalan' — the 40-day harshest weather period when the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent.

'Chilla-i-Kalan' begins on December 21 and ends on January 30. The cold wave continues even after that with a 20-day-long 'Chilla-i-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day-long 'Chilla-i-Bachha' (baby cold) following it. The MeT office has said the weather was likely to improve from Friday afternoon.

Haryana and Punjab, on the other hand, reeled under intense cold with several areas recording their minimum temperature below 10 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Fog also enveloped many parts of both states reducing visibility in the morning.

While Hisar was the coldest place in Haryana recording a minimum temperature of 4.8 degrees Celsius, Rupnagar in Punjab recorded 4.5 degrees Celsius, the weather office said. In Haryana, Karnal registered a low of 6.2 degrees Celsius, Narnaul 6.4 degrees Celsius, Ambala 8.6 degrees Celsius, Sirsa 8.2 degrees Celsius and Rohtak 8.4 degrees Celsius, it said.

Amritsar in Punjab recorded a low of 7.8 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana 8.4 degrees Celsius, Patiala 8.1 degrees Celsius, Bathinda 6 degrees Celsius and Mohali 8.4 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 8.2 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, with the mercury plummeting to sub-zero, at least six districts of Arunachal Pradesh witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall in the last couple of days, forcing people to remain indoors. Sela Pass situated at an altitude of 13,700 feet on the Bomdila-Tawang Road, the lifeline of defence personnel travelling to the frontier, was covered in over one feet snow for the last three days, an official from West Kameng district said.

The BRO is on alert for any blockade on the vital Tawang-Bomdila Road, the official said. Tawang district, bordering China, also experienced moderate snowfall.

Mayudia recorded heavy snowfall in the past couple of days forcing the Lower Dibang Valley district administration to issue a travel advisory.

The Mayudia Pass was covered in snow and the road remained blocked for the last couple of days due to heavy rain and snowfall, Lower Dibang Valley deputy commissioner Soumya Saurabh said.

Picturesque Mechuka in Shi-Yomi district also witnessed moderate snowfall in the past few days. Snowfall was also recorded in Upper Subansiri and Anjaw districts respectively. There are 26 districts in Arunachal Pradesh.

Night temperatures increased by 2 to 5 degrees in most parts of Rajasthan where Karauli was recorded as the coldest place with 5.1 degree Celsius, according to the MeT Department in Jaipur. Night temperature at other places was recorded between 6 degree Celsius (Sikar) and 15 degree Celsius (Jaisalmer).

The weather on Thursday was cloudy in Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Churu, Bikaner and surrounding districts due to the effect of a western disturbance.

These areas are likely to receive light rain on Thursday and the weather will remain dry for the next five days at most of the remaining places.

From December 31 onwards, there is a possibility of a drop in temperature and dense fog in North-West Rajasthan, according to a forecast.