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Srinagar-Leh highway closed for traffic after fresh snowfall
The Meteorological Department (MeT) weather update informed that Gulmarg received 0.6 cm snowfall while the southern resort of Pahalgam experienced 2 mm rainfall till 8:30 in the morning. It also stated that Leh in Ladakh also received snowfall of 0.5 cm depth
Srinagar: Kashmir’s mountains received light snowfall on Friday prompting the closure of the Srinagar-Leh highway and Mughal road for traffic, officials said.
They said that the upper reaches including the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir and Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal which connects with Ladakh experienced light snowfall during the night improving the sub-zero minimum temperatures, the valley was reeling under for the past few weeks.
The Meteorological Department (MeT) weather update informed that Gulmarg received 0.6 cm snowfall while the southern resort of Pahalgam experienced 2 mm rainfall till 8:30 in the morning. It also stated that Leh in Ladakh also received snowfall of 0.5 cm depth.
“The weather was generally cloudy at most places of J&K with light rain and snow at isolated places,” said Mukhtar Ahmad, deputy director of MeT, in a weather update.
Traffic officials said that the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was not majorly affected by the weather change but the traffic movement was halted on the Srinagar-Leh highway through central Kashmir and Mughal road through south Kashmir owing to bad road conditions triggered by snowfall.
“Traffic plying on Jammu-Srinagar NHW but Mughal road and Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road closed for vehicular movement due to fresh snowfall,” the traffic department said in a tweet in the morning.
However SSP traffic (national highway), Mohita Sharma later said that a tunnel of the Srinagar-Jammu highway was closed due to a power shutdown. “NH 44 UPDATE: Chenani-Nashri tunnel closed for traffic due to power shutdown. Traffic will resume after power connectivity restores,” she said.
The weather is expected to remain cloudy with a forecast of further snowfall.
“The forecast is that the weather will be cloudy with intermittent light rain at many places of Jammu and the plains of Kashmir. Light snow (1-2 inches) likely with 50% chance in plains of Kashmir from the night of Dec 9 to 10 forenoon,” Ahmad added.
He said that a few higher reaches may receive 4-6 inches of snow, particularly over Gulmarg, Sonamarg-Zojila-Gumri axis, Razdhan Pass, Sadhna pass, Mughal road and Sinthan pass,” he said.
The department also said that dry weather was expected thereafter till December 18 but with occasional light snowfall over higher reaches of Ganderabal, Kupwara and Bandipora during December 12th late at night.
“There will be a slight respite in cold during the next 2-3 days,” he said.
The MeT also issued an advisory saying that there may be a temporary disruption in surface transportation over Sinthan Top, Mugal Road, Razdan pass, Bandipora-Gurez and Zojila during the above period.
The MeT update informed that all the weather stations of Kashmir valley witnessed improvement in temperatures during the night except Gulmarg where mercury plunged to minus 3 degrees Celsius.
The summer capital Srinagar witnessed a minimum of 1°C against minus 2.8°C on the previous night. In the tourist resort of Pahalgam, the temperature was 0.7°C against minus 3.6°C on the previous night.
