Srinagar . Normal life was severely affected due to heavy snowfall and rain in Jammu and Kashmir (Severely disrupted normal life).
The Border Roads Organization (BRO) said on Saturday morning that its men and machinery were working to clear the accumulated snow so that the Srinagar International Airport could be operational today. No flight operations could take place from the airport on Friday. Srinagar-Jammu highway also remained closed. Also, traffic remained closed on Srinagar-Leh Highway and Mughal Road and till now there is no official information regarding resumption of traffic on these highways. Most of the electricity supply network was disrupted due to strong winds that preceded the rain and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, however, ground staff and engineers of the Electricity Corporation worked throughout the night to restore more than 60 percent of the supply by Friday evening.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department said that the Western Disturbance which had caused the rain has now moved out of Jammu and Kashmir. In the last 24 hours, Batote in Jammu division recorded 116.8 mm rainfall, Ramban 50, Udhampur 68.8, Bhaderwah 75.4 mm and Banihal 22 mm. At the same time, a thick layer of snow was recorded at 50.8 cm in Gulmarg, 47 in Kokernag, 46 in Pahalgam and 10 cm in Qazigund. On Saturday, the minimum temperature was minus 1.4 degrees Celsius in Srinagar, minus 12 in Gulmarg and minus 7.6 degrees Celsius in Pahalgam. The minimum temperature was 4.5 in Jammu city, 2 in Katra city, minus 3.8 in Batote, minus 4.4 in Banihal and minus 3.8 in Bhaderwah.
The weather department has predicted that the minimum temperature will fall further in the coming days due to the icy winds blowing into the valley from the snow-capped mountains. Friday’s snowfall has come as a good news for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as it not only ended the continuous drought period, but the perennial water reservoirs in the upper reaches have accumulated enough snow to maintain isolated water sources during the summer months. The Meteorological Department has predicted another Western Disturbance to be active in Jammu and Kashmir from the afternoon of January 26 to January 28. Due to this, there is a possibility of more rain and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir.