Srinagar: After three days of the wet spell, weather conditions in Kashmir improved on Sunday, with 28 flight arrivals at the Srinagar International Airport, providing a respite to the hundreds of stranded travellers.
Flight operations since Thursday mostly remained suspended due to poor visibility at the airport even though a few flights took off intermittently.
However, with a considerable improvement in the weather as predicted by the weatherman, 28 flight arrivals were seen at the airport on Sunday, Director Srinagar Airport Kuldeep Singh told Greater Kashmir.
He said 5 flights were cancelled on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the weather remained mainly dry on Sunday, though there were reports of snowfall at a few places in Doda and Kishtwar districts. Meteorological Department Srinagar has predicted dry weather in Jammu and Kashmir till January 16 with a drop in night temperature.
“Weather likely to remain dry till January 16. Expect gradual rise in day temperature and fall in minimum (night) temperature,” read the statement issued by MeT Department.
The department warned of avalanches in vulnerable spots.
“Although, snowfall has ceased, still the threat of avalanche exists in snowbound areas. So, people are once again requested not to venture out in avalanche-prone areas and remain cautious especially during the next 1 to 2 days,” read the MeT statement further.
Meanwhile, Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 4.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday. Qazigund, Kokernag and Pahalgam recorded high temperatures of 5, 3, 2 degrees Celsius respectively.
Kupwara and Gulmarg, in north Kashmir, registered maximum temperatures at 6.5, -1.0 degrees Celsius respectively. Bhaderwah remained the coldest place in the Jammu region on Sunday, recording a maximum of 6.1 degrees Celsius. Jammu city, Banihal, Batote and Katra recorded the day’s maximum temperatures at 19, 10.4, 8.3 and 14.0 degrees Celsius respectively.
Gulmarg tourist resort in north Kashmir reeled under extreme cold as the minimum temperature fell below the freezing point at most places in the valley, officials said on Sunday.
The resort recorded a low of minus 10 degrees Celsius during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, a drop of more than five degrees compared to the previous night’s minus 4.6 degrees Celsius, MET officials said.
They said Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 1.8 degrees Celsius during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, dropping more than a degree.
Summer capital Srinagarwas the only place to record minimum temperature above freezing point as the minimum settled at 0.3 degrees Celsius during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the officials said