The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an avalanche warning for hilly and mountainous areas of Kashmir due to heavy snowfall affecting normal life. The danger level is assessed as medium, prompting the authorities to urge residents to exercise caution and avoid travel to avalanche-prone areas for the next 24 hours.
The snowfall has led to the cancellation of all inbound and outbound flights from Srinagar airport for the day. An Airport Authority of India official mentioned that the snowfall began late Saturday night, briefly stopped early in the morning, allowing runway clearance, but resumed before any flights could operate.
IndiGo, a budget airline, issued a statement explaining the impact on their flights. Due to a drastic change in weather conditions, the runways at Srinagar and Leh were closed, leading to the cancellation of several flights. Passengers were informed, and refreshments were served. The airline provided options for a full refund, rescheduling, or alternate sector travel.
The plains of Kashmir experienced moderate snowfall, while heavy snowfall was reported in the higher reaches. Road transport was also affected, with authorities working to clear snow from roads for vehicular movement.
The India Meteorological Department forecasted light to moderate widespread rainfall/snowfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in isolated places over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan & Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand on February 4. This was expected to decrease to isolated to scattered rainfall/snowfall on February 5 and 6. Dry weather was forecasted thereafter.
The snowfall resulted in a rise in minimum temperatures but a fall in day temperatures in most places in the valley. The IMD mentioned that the weather in Kashmir is expected to improve from Tuesday onwards.
Despite the rise in minimum temperatures, several places in the region experienced freezing conditions. Gulmarg skiing resort in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 7.0 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam, the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 3.5 degrees Celsius. Other towns in south Kashmir, such as Kokernag and Qazigund, recorded lows of minus 2.2 degrees Celsius and minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, respectively. Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 0.7 degrees Celsius.
The ongoing weather conditions have impacted daily life in the region, emphasizing the need for residents to exercise caution and for authorities to implement measures to mitigate the impact of heavy snowfall and potential avalanches.
