EARLY TIMES REPORT
Srinagar, Mar 1: Much to the delight of people, pleasant weather continued for the second successive day on Monday due to bright sunshine in the summer capital, Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir valley, where another spell of wet weather is predicted over the weekend.
Meanwhile, barring Srinagar and world famous ski resort of Gulmarg, the night temperature improved across the valley and settled above normal due to overcast conditions.
A Met department spokesperson said that the weather will remain dry during the next 48 hours in Kashmir valley, which could result in dip in the night temperature though the mercury during the day is expected to improve due to sunshine.
However, he said a fresh weak Western Disturbance (WD), which originated from the Arabian Sea and is approaching the region though Afghanistan and Pakistan, will hit the region on Wednesday. "The WD would result in light snow and rain at isolated places in the valley during 48 hours," he said.
He said another WD is expected to hit the region on Saturday. "The system created by this WD is expected to be strong and could result in light to moderate snowfall at most places in the valley over the weekend," he added.
Much to the delight of tourists, the weather on Monday remained pleasant at Gulmarg, which received heavy snowfall on Saturday. The ski resort is currently hosting second edition of Khelo India Winter games, which saw a participation of about 600 players and officials from different states and Union Territories. The ski resort was the only place in the valley where the night temperature settled below normal. Against minus 6 degree recorded on Sunday, the night temperature in Gulmarg settled at 6.2 degree, which is marginally below normal. "Khelo India winter games participants and other tourists were enjoying different snow related activities on a sunny Monday," a hotelier from Gulmarg told UNI.
After witnessing dip in the night temperature due to overcast conditions, people woke up to a chilly Monday morning in Srinagar. However, as the day progressed, bright sunshine greeted people in the city, where people were seen basking in the sun in parks, balconies and open fields. Against 2.1 degree recorded on Saturday, the night temperature in Srinagar dipped and settled at 1.4 degree, which is still above normal.
The night temperature at world famous health resort of Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, improved about a degree from Sunday and settled at 0.7 degree, which is 4 degree above normal. The weather during the day remained pleasant in the resort due to sunshine.
The mercury at Qazigund, gateway to the valley, Kupwara in north Kashmir and tourist resort of Kukernag settled at 4 degrees, minus 0.4 degrees and 2.6 degrees, respectively. |
