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Avalanche warning issued as showers, snow lash Jammu and Kashmir
A Western Disturbance, moisture-laden winds from the Mediterranean, also affected the Ladakh region and are expected to move towards northern Himachal and Uttarakhand
A fresh western disturbance (WD) brought widespread rains and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Sunday closing the Mughal road and Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri (SSG) thoroughfare. An avalanche warning has been issued for 10 districts of the union territory.
WDs, moisture-laden winds from the Mediterranean, also affected the Ladakh region and are expected to move towards northern Himachal and Uttarakhand.
“The WD is already affecting Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. System will gain momentum by tonight and spread over to Himachal and Uttarakhand. Expect heavy rain and snow with very heavy activity over higher reaches till Feb 20. Be alert,” Leh MeT centre Sonam Lotus said.
The Jammu and Kashmir disaster management authority issued a low to moderate avalanche warning for the 10 districts of the UT.
While low danger level avalanche warning was issued for Anantnag and Kulgam districts, the medium level avalanche warning was issued for the districts of Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Ramban, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara and Ganderbal districts in the next 24 hours.
“People living in these areas are advised to take precautions and avoid venturing in the avalanche prone areas,” an advisory by JKDMA said.
The Srinagar MeT director Mukhat Ahmad said the snowfall is expected to start in Kashmir’s plains during the night and from Monday onwards. “On Monday and Tuesday, there is possibility of light to moderate rain and snow at most places in plains with possibility of heavy to very heavy snowfall over middle & higher reaches of Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Badgam and the districts of South Kashmir,” he said.
Kashmir divisional commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said that the people were in anticipation of the snowfall and the administration was ready. “This year there was not much snowfall. In the last spell, the administration was active in the field. This time as well, the alert is for three days and the administration is ready with its men and machinery. The health facilities are also good, so will be the electricity facilities,” he said.
Gulmarg, Gurez turn white
Light snowfall began during the night in the higher reaches, while the rain in the plains of the Kashmir valley intensified as the day progressed.
The snowfall was experienced in the ski resort town of Gulmarg in north Kashmir and central Kashmir’s Sonamarg and Doodhpathri besides the mountainous valleys of Gurez and Machil in Kupwara and Bandipora districts. By the afternoon, the south Kashmir’s Shopian also started to receive snowfall.
“It has been raining in the plains while the higher reaches of Kupwara and Bandipora received around one feet of snow. The snow accumulation in Gulmarg was around 8 inches,” said director of Jammu and Kashmir’s meteorological centre in Srinagar, Mukhtar Ahmad.
Traffic officials said the precipitation closed many important roads like Mughal road, which connects south Kashmir with Jammu’s Rajouri and Poonch districts.
“The SSG road connecting Kashmir and Ladakh was also closed after snowfall over Zojila while Bhaderwah-Chamba road and Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road are also closed owing to snow accumulation,” said a traffic official.
“The mountainous Srinagar-Jammu national highway was open although it has been raining across the road at many places,” he said.
