SRINAGAR: Bad weather and poor visibility led to cancellation of 12 flights at the Srinagar International Airport here today, even as snow accumulated at the runway hit operations, officials said.
Air traffic at the airport were hit as all morning flights were cancelled because of poor visibility, Director Airports Authority of India, Srinagar Airport, Sharad Kumar told PTI.
Kumar said six flights could not land this morning . In all, 12 flights to and from Srinagar were cancelled.
The operations stabilised in the afternoon, he said.
Srinagar – the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir – received fresh snowfall today even as the rest of the Valley witnessed snowfall for the third consecutive day.
The Met office has forecast more snowfall or rains over the next two days and isolated rains or snowfall a day after that.
Srinagar received fresh snowfall on Thursday while rest of the Valley witnessed snowfall for the third consecutive day, with the Met department predicting more wet weather over the next few days.
While the summer capital recorded fresh light snowfall this morning, many other areas, especially the higher reaches in the Valley, experienced continuous light to moderate snowfall for the third consecutive day, an official of the Meteorological Department here said.
The plains also received rains during the last 24 hours.
Srinagar recorded snow and rains equivalent to rainfall of 7.5 mm during the last 24 hours till 0830 hours, the official said.
The city registered minimum temperature of minus 0.3 degree Celsius — slightly down from minus 0.1 degree Celsius.
The official said the depth of snow recorded during the last 24 hours in Gulmarg, the star attraction for tourists visiting the Valley during winter, was two feet.
There also were reports of snowfall in the peripheral areas of the resort including in the areas of Khilanmarg, Kongdoori and Afferwath.
The famous ski-resort registered a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night’s minus 3.6 degrees Celsius.
Other areas which witnessed snowfall included Ganderbal, Keran, Machil, Karnah, Gurez, Shopian, Sonamarg and Amarnath along with surrounding areas. Kupwara, in north Kashmir, recorded depth of 8.2 cm snow, while the night temperature there settled at a low of minus 1.0 degree Celsius.
The famous health resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, received 3.5 cm snow, the official said, adding that the resort recorded a low of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius.
Kokernag town in south Kashmir registered a minimum of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius and recorded rains and snow equivalent to 1.9 mm of rainfall, the official said.
Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir valley, recorded 3.8 mm of rainfall and snow and the night temperature there settled at a low of 0.6 degrees Celsius.
Kargil in the frontier region of Ladakh was the coldest recorded place in the state with a low of minus 10.2 degrees Celsius, while the nearby Leh town registered minimum temperature of minus 6.7 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office has forecast widespread snowfall or rains over the next two days in the state and isolated rains or snowfall a day after that.