Snowfall blankets Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh as end of harsh winter nears; IMD predicts more snow at THESE places

A fresh bout of snowfall in Kashmir has brought cheer to locals and tourists alike. The state's economy is heavily dependent on the tourism industry and the snowfall after a long wait is expected to attract tourists to the glistening silver valley.

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The tourism industry in Kashmir has been facing hardships for the last couple of months in the absence of a good snowfall. Snowfall usually occurs during ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, a 40-day harsh winter period that ends on January 31. However, this year, the period went by with only a flash of snow towards the end.

Now, Zojilla Axis on the Srinagar-Leh Highway also received fresh snowfall along with the Drass region in Ladakh.

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Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, witnessed a minimum temperature of 3.6 degrees Celsius. In other parts of the region, Pahalgam recorded minus 0.7 degrees Celsius temperature, Qazigund recorded 2.0 degrees Celsius temperature, Kokernag recorded 0.5 degrees Celsius temperature, and Kupwara recorded 1.7 degrees Celsius temperature. Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 3.2 degrees Celsius which was the only location in the valley to register a sub-zero night temperature.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted the possibility of light to moderate rain or snow at many places in the Union Territory. Heavy snowfall is expected over a few places like Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts over the next two days. The government has issued advisories to tourists and locals visiting places such as Sonamarg and Gulmarg.

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Furthermore, the weather department has issued orange and yellow alerts for severe cold waves and extremely heavy rainfall in several states of Northern India. The Western Himalayan region will see a wet spell from January 29 to February 3, with the possibility of heavy rainfall on January 30 and 31.

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The IMD forecasted heavy snowfall over Kashmir on January 30 and 31 and over Himachal Pradesh on January 31. Uttarakhand is predicted to witness snowfall from January 31 to February 2. Severe cold day conditions may prevail over Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand today.