Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir which is usually covered in blanket of snow in December and January, witnessed a snowless winter this year. In January 2024, Jammu and Kashmir experienced its driest and warmest conditions in 43 years, marking a significant departure from typical weather patterns in the region, the Meteorological Centre Srinagar’s data said. Several parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar city, witnessed a rise in temperature and deficit rainfall.
According to the IMD, in terms of snowfall or rain, Srinagar city experienced its second driest January in the past four decades, registering only 3.0 mm of precipitation throughout the month this year.
Srinagar got warmer and drier
The lowest precipitation in the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir was recorded in January 2018, with only 1.2 mm of rainfall or snow occurring during that time.
According to data, the mean Tmax (maximum temperature) recorded in January over Srinagar station was 11.9 degrees Celsius while for Gulmarg in north Kashmir and Banihal in Ramban district, it was 5.7 degrees Celsius and 16.9 degrees Celsius respectively.
IMD said that Jammu city recorded the lowest mean maximum temperature for the first month of the year in over four decades. This is the highest mean maximum temperature for the month of January for these stations in the past 43 years, the MeT centre said in a post on X.
“2024 January was one of the driest and warmest January in the last 43 years for most of the stations of J-K except the stations of plains of Jammu (Jammu, Samba and Kathua),” it added.
Jammu maximum temperature
On the other hand, Jammu observed a mean maximum temperature of 13.4 degrees Celsius in January, which is the lowest since 1983.
The mean minimum temperature for January observed over Srinagar, Jammu, Gulmarg and Banihal were minus 3.2 degrees Celsius, 5.5 degrees Celsius, minus 3.9 degrees Celsius and 0.1 degrees Celsius respectively.
“The 2024 mean Tmin is one of the highest for Gulmarg in the last 43 years,” the MET centre said.
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