Tourists visit a snow-covered valley amid fresh snowfall on the first day of Chillai Kalan, in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, Sunday. (PTI Photo)
The onset of Chillai Kalan, the 40-day harsh winter, has brought some cheer to Kashmir as the Valley received its first snowfall of the season, ending a month-and-a-half-long dry spell.
While the Valley’s upper reaches, including popular tourist destinations, were covered under a blanket of snow, widespread rain lashed the plains.
“The system is weakening and there is a possibility that the intensity of rain and snow will gradually come down,” Director Meteorological Officer Srinagar Mukhtar Ahmad told The Indian Express. “There is some possibility that some plains of north Kashmir as well may receive snowfall.”
Early Sunday morning, a white blanket draped the tourist destinations of Gulmarg and Sonamarg, bringing cheer to visitors.
Met officials said Gulmarg received around five inches of snow by Sunday evening, while Sonamarg witnessed 3–4 inches. Sadhna Pass — connecting Kupwara with Karnah on the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir — and Razdan Pass, which links Bandipora to the Gurez valley, received around eight inches of snow.
The Kashmir Valley witnessed widespread but intermittent rain since Sunday morning. The Valley has seen a prolonged dry spell since the first week of November, leading to the drying of streams and water bodies.
Snowfall in the upper reaches and rain in the plains have brought respite from the biting cold, especially at night when the mercury had plummeted several notches below the freezing point.
While the fresh snowfall has brought cheer, it has temporarily closed several high-altitude roads. Officials said the Kupwara–Karnah road was shut to vehicular traffic due to snow accumulation at Sadhna Pass. Similarly, traffic to the Gurez valley was stopped because of snow at Razdan Pass above Bandipora.
Traffic on the Mughal Road, which connects Shopian in south Kashmir with Baffliaz in the Pir Panjal range, was also halted due to bad weather.
Operations at the Srinagar International Airport were hit Sunday. Officials said that of the scheduled 19 flight arrivals, only five landed.
Met officials said the weather is likely to improve from Sunday night, barring a brief spell of rain or snow on Monday morning.
“There is no major forecast till December 30 now,” Director Ahmad said. “There is a possibility of a brief spell of rain or snow tomorrow (Monday) forenoon.”