The upper reaches of Kashmir included the famous tourist destinations of Gulmarg and Sonamarg received fresh snowfall overnight.
The upper reaches of the Valley including the ski resort of Gulmarg received 9 mm of snowfall while the picturesque Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district also received moderate snowfall overnight, much to the delight of the tourists staying there.
Several parts of Kashmir also experienced overnight rainfall.
The vehicular traffic on the Gurez-Bandipora road was suspended following a fresh snowfall on Razdan Pass in north Kashmir.
The MeT official said scattered light to moderate rain and snow are forecast across Jammu and Kashmir over the next 48 hours.
“On January 22, the plains of Jammu are expected to experience light to moderate rainfall while several areas in Jammu and Kashmir, including the higher altitudes of the Chenab Valley and the Pir Panjal Range, are likely to witness light to moderate snowfall,” he said.
The MeT official said another spell of light to moderate rainfall in the plains and snowfall across various regions of Jammu and Kashmir is anticipated on January 23.
“The weather is predicted to remain mostly dry from January 24 to 28. However, there is a slight chance of light rain and snow in isolated locations between January 29 and January 31,” he said.
Kashmir is currently in the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ — the harshest period of winter. During the 40 days of ‘Chillai-Kalan’, which began on December 21, the chances of snowfall are the highest and the temperature drops considerably.
‘Chillai-Kalan’ ends on January 31, followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).