The upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday received fresh snowfall turning the region into a visitors' paradise. The Srinagar weather department has predicted heavy to very heavy snow on the higher reaches of the Kashmir division over the next three days, starting today. Visuals showed the upper reaches of Kashmir including Gurez Valley, Pir Panjal, Sonmarg among others, receiving heavy blanketed in fresh snow.
Srinagar-Leh Highway closed due to heavy snowfall
Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Leh Highway was closed for vehicular movement due to snow accumulation in Sonamarg's Baltal in district Ganderbal.
As per the seven-day forecast from the Meteorological Centre Srinagar, the minimum temperature in Sringar City will reach 3 degrees Celsius on Sunday, while the maximum temperature will reach 8 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature will hover around one degree Celsius over the next five days, starting February 19, while the maximum temperature will be 5-8 degrees Celsius over the same period of time. Gulmarg, the ski resort in Kashmir, witnessed a minimum temperature of minus 3 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
Meanwhile, reacting to a three-day MeT alert for snowfall in the valley, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said on Sunday, "We were eagerly waiting for snowfall...In the last spell, the administration worked well... This time it's a three-day alert..."
"Since the Public Works Department has been restructured, everything is decentralised now, and hence our strength has also increased... Now we clean the roads as soon as the snowfall stops. A Record number of tourists are coming... Preparations are almost complete for the Khelo India games which are going to be held in Gulmarg," DC Bidhuri added.
In a tweet on February 17, Meteorological Centre Srinagar said, "18-20 Feb: Light to moderate Snow/Rain over plains with heavy to very heavy snow over higher reaches of KMR Division & Pir Panjal Range of JMU Division," it said.
The India Meteorological Department predicted heavy rainfall very likely at isolated places over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh on February 18 and 20, and over Uttarakhand on February 19 and 20.
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