Kashmir’s night temperatures rise above freezing point
The MeT update said that Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded 0.2°C on the previous night, some seven degrees above normal; the day temperature on Friday was 9.8°C, about nine degrees above normal
For the first time in February, the night temperatures climbed above the freezing point in six of the seven weather monitoring stations of Kashmir valley. The temperatures hovered above normal by one to seven degrees, the meteorological (MeT) department said on Friday.
The MeT update said that Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded 0.2°C on the previous night, some seven degrees above normal. The day temperature on Friday was 9.8°C, about nine degrees above normal.
In Srinagar, the mercury climbed the highest among the seven stations at 2.8°C during the night, some 2.7 notches above normal. The maximum temperature in Srinagar on Friday was 18.2°C, about 8.3 degrees above normal. North Kashmir’s frontier district of Kupwara near the Line of Control witnessed 0.6°C during the night while on Friday, the mercury climbed to the highest in Valley to reach 18.9°C, around 10.2 degrees above normal.
“There has been a rise in temperatures since Thursday. The night was cloudy and that is why the temperature rose,” said meteorologist Farooq Ahmad Bhat. “Today, it was sunny and we expect that the night will be clear which will bring down the night temperatures,” he added.
The MeT update also said that Pahalgam in Anantnag was the only station which witnessed sub-zero temperature at -0.9°C, which was also 3.5 degrees above normal.
It was 0.6°C in south Kashmir’s Kokernag and 0.5°C in Pampore’s Konibal, some 0.8 to 1.5 degrees above normal during the night.
The MeT has issued a forecast of mainly dry weather with occasional clouds on February 17-18 and light rainfall or snowfall from February 19.
“On February 19, the weather will be generally cloudy with light rain/snow at isolated higher reaches of Kashmir division followed by light rain in plains and light to moderate rain or snow in middle and higher reaches from February 20 afternoon till next morning,” said deputy director, MeT, Mukhtar Ahmad.
Man trapped in Kupwara snow avalanche
A 26-year-old man was trapped in a snow avalanche in Kupwara on Friday, prompting the authorities to launch a rescue operation with the help of locals, officials said.
An avalanche had hit the upper area of Chontwari, about 15km from Machil, trapping a local named Aijaz Ahmad Tantray.
“It is a remote area and the rescue operation is going on. The man hasn’t been found yet, “ said a police official from Kupwara.
On February 10, a woman and a girl were rescued from an avalanche in Gurez area of Bandipora district, a day after Kashmir’s higher reaches had received fresh snowfall.
Kashmir has witnessed a number of avalanches in higher reaches of which, two cases turned fatal -- one in Gulmarg and another in Ganderbal.
