STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Night temperature in most places of Kashmir settled below the freezing point across the Valley, even as the weather office has forecast a further dip in the minimum temperature over the next few days in view of dry weather, officials said on Sunday.
In the wake of dry weather after Friday’s snowfall, the minimum temperature at most places in the valley decreased on Saturday night, the officials said.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 0.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday night half a degree down from the night before, they said.
Qazigund, the gateway to the Valley, registered a minimum temperature of minus 0.7 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius.The minimum in Kupwara, a frontier district, settled at minus 1.3 degrees Celsius, the officials said.
Low-level avalanche warning for 11 districts; construction workers shifted from Sonamarg
Srinagar: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have issued an avalanche warning with low danger level for 11 districts till Monday.
The avalanches are likely to occur above 2,000 metres over Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramula, Doda, Ganderbal, Kishtwar, Kulgam, Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban and Reasi in the next 24 hours, the State Disaster Management Authority said.
It advised the public to avoid venturing in the avalanche-prone areas. Two avalanches hit the Sonamarg area of Ganderbal, while another hit Gurez in Bandipora on Saturday. However, there was no loss of life. On Thursday, an avalanche in the Sarbal area of Sonamarg had killed two persons.
Meanwhile, in the wake of three avalanches in less than a week at a construction company site in Sonamarg area of Ganderbal district, the authorities have evacuated the workers from there and shifted them to a safer place, officials said.
Two workers of the company — Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) — which is constructing the Zojila Tunnel were killed when an avalanche hit Sarbal area of Sonamarg on Thursday.
Two simultaneous avalanches hit the area on Saturday as well, but there was no loss of life.
Following the three avalanches and in view of the warning of more, the authorities shifted the workers of the company to a safer place, the officials said.
“All MEIL workers have been shifted to a safer place from Sarbal and all are safe,” they said. The officials said district administration along with police, SDRF, Army and other agencies is ensuring the safety of people on priority.
Pahalgam in Anantnag district, which also serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered a low of minus 10.9 degrees Celsius — down five degrees Celsius from a night earlier.
The resort was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir.
The minimum temperature at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in Baramulla district went slightly up to settle at minus 10.4 degrees Celsius from the previous night’s minus 11 degrees Celsius.
The meteorological office said the weather will remain mainly dry across J-K till January 18. There will be a further decrease in the night temperature till that time.
Fresh western disturbances are likely to affect J-K from January 19 to 25. Light to moderate rain or snow is likely between January 23 and 24, it said.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day harshest weather period when the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent. Chillai Kalan begins on December 21 and ends on January 30. The cold wave continues even after that with a 20-day-long ‘Chillai Khurd’ and a 10-day-long ‘Chillai Bachha’ following it.
