Rains lash plains, day temp drops in Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 1: Rain lashed plains in Jammu and Kashmir, bringing drop in day temperature on Tuesday.
A meteorological department official told GNS that Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K, received 1.5mm of rain from 0830-1730 hours. From 10.8°C on Monday, the maximum (day) temperature dropped to 7.8°C.
However due to overnight cloud cover, Srinagar recorded a rise by 2.8°C in night temperature with mercury settling at minus 3.4°C against last night’s 0.6°C.
Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, had 1.2mm of rain during the time while as it maximum of 7.6°C and low of 1.2°C on the previous night, he said.
Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, had had 0.4mm of rain and recorded a low of 0.5°C against minus 2.6°C on the previous night, the official said.
Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, had 0.9mm of rain and recorded a low of minus 3.5°C against minus 6.8°C last night, he said.
Gulmarg received 1.4mm of rain and recorded a low of minus 4.5°C against minus 8.0°C on the previous night, he said.
The night temperature was 1.3°C below normal for this time of the year in the famous resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
Kupwara town in north Kashmir received 2.6mm and recorded a low of 3.3°C against minus 1.9 °C on the previous night, the official said.
While ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day long harshest period of winter ended on January 30, and 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ culminated on February 19, Kashmir is presently under the grip of 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’.
Jammu recorded a low of 12.3°C against 7.9°C on the previous night, the official said. The temperature was 0.7°C above normal for the J&K’s winter capital during this time of the year, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of 5.4°C, Batote had a minimum of 5.6°C while Bhaderwah recorded a low of 3.9°C, the official said.
Ladakh’s Leh recorded a minimum of minus 7.2°C against last night minus 12.8°C on the previous night while automatic Kargil station at recorded a low of minus 11.2°C. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 14.7°C, against 22.0°C on the previous night, officials said.
“Fairly widespread light rain/TS/snow is expected over Jammu and Kashmir in the next 24 hours,” the official said. He said there is a forecast for “isolated to scattered light rain/snow/THs” in subsequent two days. He however said there’s no forecast of any “significant weather” till March 5. (GNS)