Fresh snowfall in Valley; cold wave continues in north India

Higher reaches of Kashmir, including tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, received fresh snowfall as cold wave conditions continued to prevail in several parts of north India with dense fog disrupting rail services.
There was light snowfall in the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg and the hill resort of Pahalgam during the night, an official of the Meteorological Department in Jammu and Kashmir said today.
The minimum temperature dropped in Gulmarg in north Kashmir, the star attraction for tourists visiting the Valley during winter, as it settled at minus 5.4 degrees Celsius from the previous night's minus 2.6 degrees Celsius.
The hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as the base camp for annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 2.3 degrees Celsius, the official said.

He said while the department keeps no record of the snowfall in most of the higher reaches of Kashmir, there were reports of fresh snow in Peer Ki Gali on Mughal Road in Shopian, Sonamarg, Amarnath Cave Shrine and other such places.
The snowfall, along with rains in the plains, which first began during the day yesterday in many areas, broke the long dry spell in Kashmir which had resulted in the night temperature hovering several degrees below the freezing point.

With the intermittent rains in the plains, including Srinagar, there was a major increase in the minimum temperature in most places in the Valley.

The mercury in Srinagar rose over a degree from the previous night's 1 degree Celsius to settle at a low of 2.2 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said the minimum temperature in the city stayed above the freezing point for the second consecutive night after remaining below zero degrees Celsius for over a fortnight.
The night temperature in Qazigund, the gateway to Kashmir Valley, also went up from minus 2.3 degrees Celsius the previous night to settle above the freezing point at a low of 0.8 degree Celsius, the official said.
But states like Punjab and Haryana continued to reel under cold wave conditions, with Amritsar registering a low of 2.6 degrees Celsius.

Besides Amritsar, where last night's temperature dropped by two notches, the minimum temperatures also hovered a few notches below normal in various parts of the two states.
In the national capital, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 9 degrees Celsius, a rise from yesterday's 6.8 degrees Celsius, fog cover in the morning resulted in cancellation of 45 trains.
Also, Ludhiana and Patiala braved cold weather recording
below normal minimums at 5.4 degrees Celsius and 4.6 degrees Celsius, respectively, the MeT Department report said here.
Karnal recorded a below normal low of 5 degrees Celsius.
In Rajasthan, dense fog delayed eleven trains under the North Western Railways though the mercury rose in most places in the state bringing respite to people from biting cold.

The mercury also marked an improvement in Kupwara town in north Kashmir which recorded the minimum of 1.7 degrees Celsius compared to the previous night's minus 3.1 degrees Celsius.
Kokernag, in south, registered a low of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius, the MeT official said.
The night temperature in Leh settled at a low of minus 8.3 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night's low of minus 9.5 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said the data for Kargil was not available.
The Meteorological Department has said there is possibility of isolated rains in the plains and light snowfall in the higher reaches of Kashmir for two days from today, while there are chances of widespread rains or snowfall for two days on January 29 or 30.

The Valley is currently under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day harshest winter period.
Chillai-Kalan, which began on December 21 and ends on January 31, is the period of winter when the chances of snowfall are usually most frequent and maximum.
The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai Bachha' (baby cold).
In Rajasthan, mercury went up by one to six degrees Celsius in most places due to change in wind pattern in the state with Sriganganagar recording the lowest temperature at 5.6 degrees Celsius last night, a Rajasthan MeT official said.

Temperature rose sharply at hill station Mount Abu from 4 degrees Celsius to 8.0 degrees Celsius last night.
However fog appeared in parts of north-eastern Rajasthan covering Alwar, Sriganganagar, and Hanumangarh, while dense fog in neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh led to delay of 11 trains and rescheduling of two.
Sealdah-Ajmer train is running 9 hrs 30 mts late followed by Howarah-Sriganganagar 6 hrs 50 mts, and Jammu Tawai-Ajmer 6 hrs 20 mts, an NWR CPRO Tarun Jain said.
Ajmer-Jammu Tawi and Jaipur-Allahabad trains have been rescheduled to avoid fog, he said.
The rise in minimum temperature ranged between 1 degree Celsius and 6 degrees Celsius in Ajmer, Jaipur, Pilani, Kota, Sawimadhopur, Udaipur, Barmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Churu, and Jaisalmer.

Mercury would further increase as a new western disturbance and wind pattern is likely to hit the state in the next 48 hours, the weatherman said.