Jammu and Kashmir’s Gulmarg was covered in a thick blanket of snow on Sunday. A drone footage posted by ANI beautifully captured the snow-covered region.
Gulmarg recorded a minimum temperature of -7°C while Pahalgam recorded -3.5°C. Kokernag in the Anantnag district recorded -2°C whereas Srinagar recorded -0.7°C.
Snowfall affected normal life in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Several flights were cancelled and roads, including national highways, were closed for vehicular movement. Snowfall was also reported in the Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar and Doda districts besides the upper reaches of Reasi.
In a statement issued in Mumbai, IndiGo airline said six of its flights – four to Srinagar and two to Leh – were cancelled due to bad weather. “Due to a drastic change in the weather conditions, the runway at Srinagar and Leh have been closed. This has led to the cancellation of four IndiGo flights to Srinagar and two IndiGo flights to Leh,” the statement read. The helicopter service to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district also remained suspended due to the inclement weather.
According to MeT, the weather will improve in Kashmir starting Tuesday. The extended period of severe winter, lasting 40 days in the region referred to as ‘Chilla-i-Kalan,’ concluded on January 30. The valley witnessed a period of dry weather throughout this winter.
(With agencies’ inputs)
