The picturesque resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir experienced the coldest night of the season as mercury plunged to minus 5.6°C on Wednesday amid a forecast of two back-to-back weather disturbances, which will bring rainfall and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir from December 9 to 13, meteorological department (MeT) officials said.
All the weather stations in the Valley recorded sub-zero temperatures during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday with Pahalgam recording the lowest temperature. Earlier, the mercury had dropped to minus 4.8°C in the tourist resort on November 23.
Meteorological department deputy director (MeT) Mukhtar Ahmad, while sharing a weather update, said that summer capital Srinagar witnessed a minimum temperature of minus 3°C.
“In Jammu division, the mercury dropped to minus 0.7°C in Banihal, while it was 6.9°C in Jammu district,” he said. Ahmad said that dry weather with haze and shallow fog will continue till December 8.
He said that fresh western disturbances will affect J&K from December 9. “Under the influence of the system, there is possibility of light snow over the plains and lower reaches, and light to moderate snow in the middle amd higher reaches on December 9 and 10 and light rain at isolated to scattered places in Jammu division,” Ahmad said, saying that another western disturbance will hit the region on the night of December 12.
“There is possibility of light snow in higher reaches of Kupwara, Bandipora, and Ganderbal,” he said. The precipitation is expected to bring down day temperatures while improving the night temperatures due to overcast weather.
While the first week of December witnessed sub-zero temperatures in Kashmir, the month of November for the major part was dry, cold and recorded below average rainfall in Kashmir this year, officials said.
This year, Jammu and Kashmir received the much-needed normal rainfall after two years of deficit monsoon seasons, with Kashmir valley receiving 270 mm average rainfall from June 1 to September 29, an increase of 6% than the normal of 254 mm. Similarly, Jammu division experienced 886mm average rainfall in the four monsoon months, an increase of 7% than the normal 826 mm.
Kashmir’s harsh winter period will start from December 21(locally called Chillai Kalan).
