Jammu, Oct 06: A fresh spell of snowfall in the higher reaches and rainfall across the plains of Kashmir on Monday brought a sudden and sharp decline in day temperatures, turning the Valley cold overnight.
Officials said snowfall was recorded in several high-altitude areas including Sinthan Top in Anantnag, Affarwat in Gulmarg, Zojila Pass, Bangus in Kupwara and Razdan Pass in Gurez Valley. The fresh snow cover has added to the winter-like feel even as autumn lingers.
The plains of Kashmir, including Srinagar city, witnessed light to moderate rainfall through the day, contributing to the sharp dip in temperatures.
According to officials, Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of just around 11 degrees Celsius on Monday, a steep fall from 22.6 degrees Celsius noted a day earlier, marking a drop of nearly 10 degrees.
The Meteorological Department has forecast wet weather to continue in the Valley for the next 24 hours.
The sudden change in weather has also affected normal life across Kashmir. Traffic on mountain passes like Zojila was disrupted as fresh snow made the roads slippery, slowing movement of vehicles between the Valley and Ladakh.
Authorities have issued advisories for travelers to exercise caution while commuting on hilly roads. Farmers too expressed concern over the timing of the snowfall and rainfall, as the apple harvest season is underway. Any prolonged wet spell could damage fruit quality and affect transportation to outside markets.
On the other hand, the snowfall has boosted tourism prospects in popular destinations such as Gulmarg and Sonamarg, with hotels reporting fresh bookings from visitors eager to witness the season’s first snow.
Meteorological experts say such weather patterns are not unusual for October, but the intensity of the temperature drop has been sharper this year, indicating an early onset of winter-like conditions in the Valley.
Similarly, in Himachal Pradesh, the minimum and maximum temperatures witnessed a significant drop as the state received snowfall for the second day in a row. Keylong in tribal Lahaul and Spiti recorded a low of 0.1 degree Celsius.
Intermittent showers lashed parts of the state, with Guler receiving 42 mm of rain since Sunday evening, according to officials. Thunderstorms were witnessed in Jot, Sundernagar, Bhunter, Kangra, Palampur, and Shimla, while gusty winds with speeds ranging between 41 and 57 kmph swept Hamirpur, Narkanda, Kufri, Bajaura, Reckong Peo, Tabo, and Kotkhai.
Shimla MeT Office Director Kuldeep Srivastav said a strong active western disturbance would impact the state for the next two days, with the possibility of heavy rains in Kangra and Chamba districts and snow in Lahaul and Spiti districts.
Meanwhile, rainfall provided relief to Delhi-NCR from the hot and humid conditions that had persisted over the last several days in the region. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 20.6 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average.
In Punjab, places like Mohali, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Phagwara, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Rupnagar, and Ludhiana received rain, while Haryana’s Panchkula, Hisar, Fatehabad, Ambala, Rohtak, and Kurukshetra were lashed by rain.
