The tourist resort town of Pahalgam in Anantnag district witnessed its first snowfall of the season, much to the delight of visitors.
Several higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Saturday, even as the night temperatures across most places settled above freezing point due to overcast conditions, officials said. The snowfall occurred under the influence of a Western Disturbance, which brought the season’s first snowfall to some areas.
The tourist resort town of Pahalgam in Anantnag district witnessed its first snowfall of the season, much to the delight of visitors.
Similarly, other tourist hotspots including the Gulmarg ski resort and the meadow of Sonamarg also recorded snowfall.
Snowfall was also reported from other higher reaches, including Gurez, Zojila axis, and several upper areas of the region.
The snowfall on the Zojila axis led to the closure of the Srinagar-Leh highway, the primary road link connecting the Valley with Ladakh.
The Meteorological Department (MeT) had predicted cloudy weather with the possibility of light rain or snowfall at isolated or scattered places in the higher reaches of Kashmir on Saturday.
On Sunday, the weather is expected to remain partly cloudy with light precipitation in some upper areas.
The MeT also predicted light rain or snow at scattered places in the higher reaches from December 2 to 3.
From December 4 to 7, the weather is expected to stay generally dry, with a slight chance of light rain or snow in isolated areas on December 8.
Overcast skies led to a rise in night temperatures across Kashmir, with most places recording temperatures above freezing point.
Srinagar recorded a low of 1 degree Celsius, up from the previous night’s -1 degree Celsius.
Pahalgam recorded the coldest temperature in the Valley at minus 1.5 degree Celsius, Kupwara registered a low of minus 3.4 degree Celsius, Gulmarg recorded 0.5 degree Celsius, Qazigund recorded -0.4 degree Celsius and Kokernag recorded 3 degree Celsius.
