Fresh snow paints Kashmir’s high reaches in white

Srinagar, Dec 31: Several high-altitude areas of Kashmir were draped in snow, creating a surreal winter landscape as the Chillai Kalan tightened its grip.

The Meteorological Department (MeT) on Wednesday forecast light to moderate precipitation over most areas in the next 24 hours, officials said.

The upper regions, including Gulmarg, Sadhna Top, and Tulail Valley, experienced light to moderate snowfall, while the rest of the areas remained largely cloudy.

According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, most areas were expected to receive light to moderate rain or snow on Wednesday night.

“The higher and far upper reaches of north and central Kashmir are likely to receive moderate to heavy snowfall,” the officials said.

However, they said that from January 2, the Valley is expected to experience partly to generally cloudy weather, with isolated light rain or snow in some areas.

“Partly cloudy weather is forecast from January 3 to 5 and January 7 to 8, while isolated higher-altitude regions may receive light snow on January 6, officials said,” the officials said.

Kashmir continues to reel under Chillai Kalan, the coldest phase of winter, though minimum temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday remained above normal at many places, aided by cloud cover, officials said. Srinagar recorded a low of 2.3 degrees Celsius on December 31, up from 1 degree Celsius a day earlier, while temperatures were slightly above freezing in Qazigund at 1.4 degrees Celsius, Anantnag 0.7 degrees Celsius, Baramulla 2.8 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam 1.8 degrees Celsius, and Bandipora 2.6 degrees Celsius.

However, sub-zero conditions persisted in the higher reaches, with Gulmarg at minus 3 degrees Celsius, Shopian at minus 1.1 degrees Celsius, and Pulwama at minus 0.2 degrees Celsius on December 31. Meteorologists said fresh snowfall in upper reaches and widespread cloudiness elsewhere prevented a sharper drop in night temperatures, even as icy conditions continued in isolated pockets across the region. Tourism and winter sports in high-altitude destinations like Gulmarg are expected to benefit from the fresh snowfall, with authorities advising visitors to exercise caution while travelling on snow-covered roads.

Local administration has deployed snow-clearing teams and alerted disaster management authorities to ensure smooth movement and safety, particularly on routes connecting remote tourist destinations like Gulmarg.