Srinagar, Jan 4 (PTI) A thick layer of fog engulfed parts of Kashmir on Saturday as the valley braces for widespread snowfall, with the possibility of heavy snow over the middle and the higher reaches, officials said.
Dense fog engulfed several parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar, in the morning, they said.
The fog affected air traffic to and from the valley as poor visibility hit flight operations at the Srinagar airport.
Several flights were delayed but operations resumed with the visibility improving and the first flight landed at 11:13 am, the officials said.
The Met office said a moderate to strong western disturbance was likely to affect Jammu and Kashmir and light to moderate snow at most places was possible, with the peak activity from Saturday night to Monday morning.
There is a possibility of heavy snow over the middle and the higher reaches of Kashmir and the Chenab valley from Saturday night to Sunday late night or Monday morning.
The Met has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for Saturday. An ‘orange’ warning has been issued for Sunday when there is a possibility of widespread snowfall with heavy snow at isolated places.
There could be temporary disruption of surface and air transportation, particularly on Sunday, it warned.
In wake of the Met forecast of moderate to heavy snowfall, the authorities asked people to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary travel during adverse weather conditions to ensure safety and minimise disruptions.
District administrations have set up control rooms to assist the public, the officials said.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had on Friday said the government was ready to deal with the snowfall.
“We will deal with it. We are prepared, we have had several meetings and we also have experience after the last snowfall. If there were any lacunae last time, we will correct that this time,” he had told reporters.
Meanwhile, the night temperature rose at most places in Kashmir.
In Srinagar, the mercury settled at a low of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, slightly up from the previous night’s minus 2.2 degrees, the Met said.
Gulmarg, a tourist resort town known for skiing activities in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 2.2 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night’s minus 4.5 degrees.
Pahalgam, one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir, registered a minimum of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, logged a minimum temperature of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius and was the coldest place in the valley, while Konibal in Pampore town recorded a low of minus 2.6 degrees.
Kupwara in north Kashmir registered minus 2.2 degrees Celsius while Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded minus 5.8 degrees.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ — the harshest period of winter — that began on December 21. During the 40 days of ‘Chillai-Kalan’, the chances of snowfall are the highest and the temperature drops considerably.
‘Chillai-Kalan’ ends on January 30. It is followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd (small cold)’ and a 10-day ‘Chillai-Bachha (baby cold)’.(PTI)
