Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Feb 7 : The Srinagar-Jammu national highway, connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed for traffic today following fresh heavy snowfall at many places along the route. "The Srinagar-Jammu highway is closed for traffic due to heavy snowfall near Jawahar Tunnel and many other places along the route," a spokesman of the Traffic Department said. Landslides occurred at a few places along the 294-km arterial highway, forcing the authorities to stop the traffic which was scheduled to ply from Srinagar to Jammu. The highway was closed on Feb 5 also due to fresh snowfall and rains.
Meanwhile, the plains of the Valley, including Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, received moderate snowfall overnight, while heavy snowfall was recorded in the higher reaches. Srinagar received 7 cm of snow and the mercury settled at a low of 0.2 degrees Celsius last night as compared to 0.6 degrees Celsius the previous night, a MeT Department official here said.
Mercury in Qazigund - the gateway town to Kashmir Valley - settled at zero degrees Celsius as against 0.2 degrees Celsius the previous night and the town received 5 cm of snow.
The tourist resort of Pahalgam, in south Kashmir, recorded a snowfall of 3 cm and the mercury there appreciated by over one degree to settle at minus 5.2 degrees Celsius as compared to minus 6.7 degrees Celsius previous night. The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius as against the previous night's minus 8.0 degrees Celsius. The resort recorded five feet of snow, the official said.
The mercury in Kokernag, in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 1.3 degrees Celsius last night, an increase of two degrees from the previous night's minimum of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius. The town received 13 cm of snow, the official said.
The mercury in Kupwara, which recorded a low of zero degree Celsius the previous night, settled at 0.2 degrees Celsius last night and recorded 25 cm of snowfall. The mercury in Leh, in Ladakh region, increased by over seven degrees to settle at a low of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius as against minus 12.4 degrees Celsius. Kargil was the coldest place in the state as the mercury settled at a low of minus 15.0 degrees Celsius as compared to the previous night's 16.4 degrees Celsius. The MeT Department has said there would be a decrease in precipitation from tomorrow. |
