Weather improves in Kashmir

It was a partly sunny morning in Jammu and Kashmir summer capital Srinagar on Friday, with the minimum temperature settling at 8.4 degrees Celsius and bringing some respite after days of inclement weather.

The meteorological department has forecast improvement in the weather from Friday.

"There is a possibility of light rain with thundershowers at isolated placed in the state. However, weather will remain generally dry and maximum temperature would hover around 20 degrees Celsius on Friday," an official of the weather office told IANS here.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature on Friday in Pahalgam was 1.9 degree Celsius and in Gulmarg 1.6 degree Celsius.

Leh, in the Ladakh region, was coldest place in the state at minus 0.1 degree Celsius while Kargil town recorded minimum temperature of 4 degree Celsius

Weather also improved in Jammu region's Chenab valley which received fresh snowfall in its upper reaches on Thursday. Baderwah town of the same region remained at 4.1 degree Celsius.

The minimum overnight temperature in Jammu city was 14.4 degree Celsius on Friday.

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained open for one-way traffic as vehicles were allowed to move from Srinagar-Jammu traffic on Friday.

"No vehicles from opposite side will ply today (Friday). Yesterday (Thursday) more than 3,500 vehicles, which included supplies to valley, travelled from Jammu to Srinagar.

"Yesterday (Thursday) 2,010 heavy motor vehicles, 1,630 light motor vehicles, 205 tankers, 135 vehicles carrying LPG and 40 buses travelled from Jammu to Srinagar," an official of traffic police department told IANS.

The strategic national highway is the only surface link of the landlocked Kashmir Valley with outside, through which essential goods of life are routed.

-Indo-Asian News Service

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