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Fresh snowfall in Kashmir, morning flights cancelled

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 1/20/2019 5:09:04 PM

SRINAGAR, Jan 19: Kashmir Valley this morning experienced a fresh snowfall.
The snowfall was light in plain areas and moderate in upper reaches. The snowfall stopped in the morning only and weather conditions improved.
However, the snowfall led to cancellation of flights at the airport here this morning. Due to snowfall and poor visibility, the flights were cancelled, an official said. But the air traffic was restored this afternoon following improvement in weather, he added.
Kashmir witnessed light snowfall late last evening also. But it stopped later. The snowfall resumed for a brief period this morning.
Weatherman has predicted snowfall for four more days from tomorrow with heavy to very heavy snowfall on January 22.
"A western disturbance (WD) is presently active over the state under whose influence moderate to heavy snowfall is likely to occur in the valley till January 23 after which the intensity of the WD will start decreasing," a Met department official said here.
While the nightlong cloud cover increased minimum temperatures throughout the valley on Saturday, the maximum temperatures are expected to drop further, the weather official said.
Srinagar recorded minus 2.0 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam minus 4.4 and Gulmarg minus 7.0 as the minimum temperatures.
Leh town had minus 9.2 degrees Celsius and Kargil minus 18.9 as the night's lowest temperature.
Despite fresh snowfall the national highway was through for one-way traffic while Srinagar-Leh and other roads remained closed due to accumulation of snow.
The 300-km-long Srinagar- Jammu national highway was through despite snowing on both sides of the Jawhar tunnel, Shaitan Nallah and Banihal since this morning.
After reviewing the weather and road conditions, authorities allowed one-way traffic on the highway, a traffic police official said this morning. He said that traffic plied from Jammu to Srinagar today and no vehicle was allowed from opposite direction.
The meteorological department has already issued a warning that surface and air traffic could get affected due to moderate to heavy snowfall from today. in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the national highway, the only road linking the Ladakh region with Kashmir remained closed for the past about two months due to accumulation of snow, particularly between Sonamarg in central Kashmir and Meenmarg in Ladakh region.
However, vehicles were operating on the highway between Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, border town of Kargil and Leh.
The road between Anantnag in south Kashmir and Kishtwar in Jammu region also remained closed due to snow. The 86-km-long historic Mughal road connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region also remained closed for the past about two months due to accumulation of snow.
These roads are likely to reopen in March and April.