SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority(JKDMA) on Tuesday issued fresh avalanche warning for ten districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Avalanche with low danger level is likely to occur above 2200 metres over Anantnag and Kulgam districts in next 24 hours. Also avalanche with medium danger level is likely to occur above 2400 metres over Bandipora and Baramulla districts in next 24 hours,” reads the advisoryissued by JKDMA.

It also said that avalanche with high danger level is likely to occur above 2000 metres over Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Ramban, Kupwara and Ganderbal districts in next 24 hours.

The advisory requested people living in respective districts to take precautions and avoid venturing in the avalanche prone areas. The advisory also said that in case of any emergency, the general public can dial 112.

SRINAGAR: Weatherman on Wednesday forecast “extended wet spell” in Jammu and Kashmir from Saturday night onwards till afternoon of February 21.

 “A couple of moderate to intense Western Disturbances most likely to affect J&K and adjoining areas from February 17 afternoon onwards,” a meteorological department official here told GNS.

Under the influence of the weather Systems, he said, an “extended wet spell” is likely from February 17 (night) onwards till February 21 (Afternoon) most likely over J&K and adjoining areas.

In Kashmir Valley, he said, partly to generally cloudy with possibility of light snow at isolated higher reaches is expected towards late Saturday night.

On February 18, he said, generally cloudy weather with possibility of light to moderate rain and snow is expected at many places.

From February 19-20, he said, there is possibility of light to moderate rain and snow at most places (plains and lower reaches) with possibility of heavy snowfall over middle and higher reaches of Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Badgam, Shopian and Kulgam districts during late afternoon of February 19 to February 20 late night.

From February 21, he said, there is possibility of light to moderate snow at many places till afternoon and late afternoon and gradual improvement thereafter.

Regarding Jammu division, he said, there is possibility of light rain and snow at many places on Sunday.

 From 19th-20th Feb, there is possibility of intermittent light to moderate rain with thunder/lightning in plains of Jammu Division with light to moderate snowfall over higher reaches and heavy snowfall over isolated higher reaches of Ramban, Poonch, Doda and Kishtwar.”

On February 21, he said, light to moderate snow/rain/thunder/lightning is expected over many places till late afternoon and evening and gradual improvement thereafter.

The MeT office also issued advisory, saying that the system may lead to temporary closure of roads of higher reaches and important passes like Sinthan pass, Mughal Road, Sadhna, Razdan pass, Zojila etc.

“Travellers are advised to plan accordingly,” the MeT official said, adding, “farmers are advised to withheld irrigation and fertilizer application and drain out excess water from Orchards and fields during the above period.”

He said significant drop in day temperature is expected during the period.

Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of minus 3.0°C against previous night’s minus 2.0°C and it was below normal by 3.2°C for the summer capital of J&K for this time of the year.

Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 2.0°C against minus 1.2°C on the previous night and it was 1.0°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, the MeT official said.

Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 5.2°C against minus 5.4°C on the previous night and it was 0.2°C below normal for the famous resort in south Kashmir.

Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum of minus 0.2°C against minus 0.3°C on the previous night and the temperature was above normal by 1.3°C for the place, the official said.

Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 3.4°C against minus 4.5°C on the previous night and it was 2.2°C below normal there, the official said.

Gulmarg, the official said, recorded a low of minus 4.2°C against minus 4.5°C on the previous night and the temperature was above normal by 2.0°C for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir.

Jammu, he said, recorded a minimum of 8.1°C and it was below normal by 2.0°C for the winter capital of J&K.

Banihal recorded a low of 4.2°C, Batote 0.6°C and Bhaderwah 1.6°C, he said.

As ‘Chillai-Kalan’, the 40-day harsh period of winter ended on January 29, Kashmir is presently in the middle of 20-day-long winter period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that ends on February 19 and is followed by a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which starts from February 20 to March 1. (GNS)

SRINAGAR: Barring Gulmarg, minimum temperature recorded a slight rise in Kashmir Valley with Srinagar recording minus 3.7°C on Saturday, officials said.   

A meteorological department official here told GNS Srinagar recorded a rise of 1.2°C compared to previous night's minus 4.9°C and it was 1.6°C below normal for the summer capital of J&K for this time of the year.

Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 4.0°C against minus 5.0°C on the previous night, he said. The minimum temperature was 0.7°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, the MeT official said.

Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 5.5°C against minus 6.3°C on the previous night and it was 1.7°C above normal for the famous resort in south Kashmir.

Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum of minus 2.0°C against minus 1.4°C on the previous night and the temperature was above normal by 1.9°C for the place, the official said.

Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 4.7°C against minus 5.0°C on the previous night and it was 1.6°C below normal there, the official said.

Gulmarg, the official said, recorded a low of minus 4.6°C against minus 3.6°C on the previous night and the temperature was 3.1°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir.

Jammu, he said, recorded a minimum of 5.9°C against 5.0°C on the previous night, and it was below normal by 1.2°C for the winter capital of J&K.

Banihal recorded a low of minus 1.4°C, Batote 1.9°C and Bhaderwah minus 0.4°C, he said.

The MeT has forecast for light snow at isolated higher reaches on January 25 and light rain and snow over scattered places for subsequent two days in Jammu and Kashmir.

 “Dry weather is likely to continue till January 24 with generally cloudy on 20th evening,” the official said.

On January 25, he said, light snow at isolated higher reaches was expected while from January 26-28, light rain and snow was expected over scattered places.

 “As per indications of different models, there is possibility of light to moderate rain/snow at many places very likely from January 29-31,(Detailed information will be shared in coming days),” he said 

The MeT department also forecast redevelopment of moderate to dense fog and fall in day temperature over Jammu Division during next three days.

Kashmir valley is under ‘Chillai-Kalan’, the 40-day harsh period of winter, which will end on January 29. However it does not mean an end to the winter. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1. (GNS)

SRINAGAR: Snowfall in the upper reaches and widespread rains in Jammu and Kashmir led to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Mughal Road, and the Srinagar-Leh highway for vehicular traffic, officials said on Tuesday morning.

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was blocked due to falling landslides and shooting stones following heavy rains.

Officials said the highway was blocked at Dhalwas and Cafeteria Morh in Ramban district of Jammu region. The road clearance work is in progress.

"SSG Road (Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gomri, which connects Ladakh with Kashmir valley) and Mughal Road were also closed due to snow accumulation,” traffic officials said.

The Meteorological Department (MeT) has predicted an improvement in weather as of Wednesday.

“Mainly dry weather is predicted for the next two days,” MeT said.

The snowfall was received Monday night in remote mountainous regions of Kashmir, including Sonmarg in Ganderbal district and Gurez in Bandipora district. The tourist resort of Sonamarg received 4–5 inches of snow.

While the upper reaches received snow, widespread rains lashed the plains.

Srinagar city recorded 20.9 mm of rain in the last 24 hours until Tuesday morning, the Meteorological Department said.

Qazigund in south Kashmir received 47.4 mm of rainfall, while north Kashmir’s Kupwara town received 12.3 mm of rainfall.

The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded 18.6 mm rain.

South Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort reported 27.4 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours.

The snowfall and rain have brought down day as well as night temperatures across Kashmir. (UNI)

SRINAGAR: The weatherman on Friday forecast “hot and dry” weather to continue in Jammu and Kashmir for a week ahead.  

According to a meteorological department official, light to moderate rain and thunderstorm occurred at scattered places of J&K .

“Except brief spell of morning rain, weather is very likely to remain hot and dry in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours,” the official told GNS, adding, “Day temperature was likely to remain 1-2°C lower than yesterday.”

Regarding the forecast from September 16-22, he said, the weather was mainly going to be hot and dry but a brief spell of rain at isolated to scattered places of J&K cannot be ruled out.

“Due to absence of any strong Western Disturbance or Monsoon Current over J&K, there's no forecast of major rain for a week, at least.” (GNS)

SRINAGAR: Weather department on Friday forecast  mainly hot and dry weather in Jammu and Kashmir but isolated late afternoon or evening showers has not been ruled out. 

“Mainly hot and dry weather is expected today. Rain may occur at isolated to scattered places of Jammu & Kashmir towards late afternoon/evening,” a meteorological department official here told GNS.

He said that no large change was expected with the weather on weekend and same conditions are expected on August 5-6. 
He said from August 7-10, “mainly dry weather” is expected.

“There is no forecast of any major rainfall this week and weather is expected to be mainly hot and dry.” (GNS)

SRINAGAR: Amid the frequent wet spells in Jammu and Kashmir this month, the summer capital of the Union Territory, Srinagar has broken all previous records as for the first time since 1891, the station has received a precipitation of 187.2 mm.

It has been after 131 years that Srinagar has witnessed such a huge precipitation in July month.

Independent Weather Forecaster, Faizan Arif Keng told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Srinagar records wettest July in at least 131 years, saying that the Rambagh Observatory in Srinagar received the highest total rainfall in July since its establishment in 1891, recording 187.2 mm of rainfall this July.

“The majority of this rainfall occurred during three spells: 20.0 mm on 08 July, 50.6 mm on 20 July, and 53.4 mm on 27 July,” he said, adding that before this year, the highest-ever rainfall recorded in the month of July was 182.6 mm in 1988.

Some of the areas in the Valley also received record-breaking precipitation in the month of July, he said, adding that Qazigund in South Kashmir has recorded the highest rainfall in this month in 28 years.

A total rainfall of 197.7 mm was recorded in July 2023 at Qazigund, he said, adding that the previous record and all-time record is 280.1 mm in 1995, saying that the highest rainfall has been recorded since 1996.

In Pahalgam, a precipitation of 225.5 mm was recorded in July 2023 while the previous & all-time record is 232.6 mm in 2021, adding that this month’s precipitation is the second highest rainfall since the weather observatory was set up in 1978 or 2nd highest rainfall in 45 years.

At Kokernag, highest rainfall was recorded in the last eight years as a total rainfall of 198.0 mm was recorded in July 2023 while the previous record was 204.3 mm in 2015.

However, he said that the all-time record in Kokernag is 246.2 mm in 1995, therefore, the area has received the highest rainfall since 2016.

In Gulmarg, highest rainfall has been recorded in the last 13 years as a total rainfall of 144.8 mm was recorded in July 2023, he said, adding that the previous record was 220.9 mm in 2010 and the all-time record is 255.3 mm in 1993. “Therefore, Gulmarg a famous ski-resort has recorded highest rainfall since 2011,” he said. (KNO)

SRINAGAR: More rains lashed Jammu and Kashmir even as weather department here on Saturday forecast “fairly widespread light to moderate” rain and thunderstorm during the next 24 hours.

A meteorological department official here told GNS that “isolated to scattered light rain/thunderstorm” was expected during subsequent two days in J&K. 

Regarding the rainfall in last 24 hours till 8:30 a.m. today, he said, Srinagar recorded 11.7mm, Qazigund 1.2mm, Pahalgam 8.1mm, Kupwara 8.8mm, Kokernag 2.4mm, Gulmarg 7.2mm, Jammu 33.8mm, Banihal traces, Batote 1.1mm, Katra 19.6mm, and Bhaderwah 9.8mm.  

As regards temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of Srinagar recorded a low of 16.3°C, Qazigund 16.6°C, Pahalgam 13.2°C, Kupwara town 14.8°C, Kokernag 16.7°C, Gulmarg 14.8°C, Jammu 24.5°C, Banihal 17.3°C, Batote 18.0°C, Katra 21.5°C and Bhaderwah 18.2°C, the official added. (GNS)

SRINAGAR: Amid frequent wet spells in the ongoing month, Jammu and Kashmir has reported 15 cloudburst incidents in the month of July while the Meteorological department (MeT) is preparing data to see whether the incidents have witnessed an upward trend.

According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Jammu and Kashmir has received excess rainfall of 27 per cent since June 01, 2023 to July 19, 2023 as the frequent rainfall has been reported in the Union Territory from last month.

Deputy Director MeT, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad told KNO that although the complete data has not been prepared but so far in this month, a total of 15 cloudburst incidents have been reported in July alone.

“It will be premature to speak whether such incidents have witnessed an upward trend as the data has not been finalized yet, which would help in comparing the figures of this year with previous years,” he said.

Several areas of J&K a few days ago were hit by flash floods triggered by the cloudburst incidents, which led to the damage of roads, some walls of the Government run schools in Kulgam and minor damage to the roads in Zirhama village in Kupwara.

A few cloudburst incidents were also reported in Katra recently leading to the cloudburst.

Moreover, the weatherman has predicted more rains in J&K till July 28, saying that the weather would remain partly to generally cloudy from July 25-July 28.

On July 25, MeT Deputy Director said that there is a possibility of light rain, thunderstorm during late night and early morning.

He added that from July 26-July 28, the weather would remain partly to generally cloudy during daytime while there is a possibility of light to moderate thunderstorm at many places with isolated heavy rainfall especially during late night and early morning.

In an advisory, the MeT has predicted risk of flash flood, mudslide, landslide during the period and advise people to remain cautious and stay away from Streams, Rivers and other vulnerable spots during the period. (KNO)

SRINAGAR: Parts of Jammu and Kashmir received heavy rainfall with Katra recording “extremely” heavy downpour of 315.4mm in 24 hours which is all-time heaviest for the area, officials said on Wednesday.  

A meteorological department official here told GNS while Katra received all time rain of 315.4mm in 24 hours till 0830 hours this morning; it surpassed the 292.4mm record recorded on 31st July 2019.

Other parts of Jammu and Kashmir also received rainfall in the last 24 hours with Jammu recording 109mm, Banihal 10mm and Batote 15mm.

Regarding forecast for next 24 hours, he said, rainfall was likely in few hours and decrease thereafter.

From July 20-22, he said, intermittent light to moderate rain and thundershower w4as likely at “many places” of Jammu and at scattered places of Kashmir.

“Heavy to very heavy rain is possible at some places of Jammu region during this week,” he said.

The MeT official said that there was risk of “flash flood, mudslide, and landslides has increased due to heavy rain. “

People, he said, are advised to remain cautious and stay away from Streams, Rivers and other vulnerable spots.

Meanwhile, authorities have closed all government and private schools in Doda district for the well-being of the students in view of the heavy rainfall.

Deputy Commissioner Doda also directed all the concerned that “students must be informed, well in advance, about the closure of the schools so that they do not venture out.” (GNS)

SRINAGAR: One person died and more casualties are feared after two houses collapsed following heavy rains in Bani area of Kathua district, officials and reports said on Wednesday.   

They said two Houses belonging to Mushtaq Ahmed and Abdul Qayum  collapsed in Surjan Morha Aruad Block in Bani due to heavy rainfall. Five persons including children got buried under these houses and the body of one person Mohammad Arif son ofAbdul Qayum has been recovered so far by the rescuers including police and local volunteers, they said.

SSP Kathua Shivdeep Singh Jamwal confirmed recovery of one body from the debris and told GNS that a massive rescue operation was underway. He responded in affirmative when asked if more casualties are feared. 

Meanwhile, a woman identified as Naseema Begum wife of Mohammad Rafiq of Mandhota Tehsil Bani died after Landslide hit her, the officials said. Her body has been recovered, they added. 

Also, body of 7th class student Ajay Singh son of Late Mohiner singh of Sitti Tehsil has been recovered from debris of another landslide in Bani near his residence, they said. 

Also, One person Sham Lal son of Tara Chand of Bhullari Tehsil of Bani get buried due to land sliding and search operation is on, they said. 

SDM Bani Satish Kumar told GNS two bodies, one from debris of the house and another that of the woman from under landslide, have been recovered. He said there are reports of flash floods from other areas and teams of official have been deputed. (GNS)

SRINAGAR: Authorities in Ramban district have ordered for closure of schools upto 10th class today. The decision has been taken due to heavy rains and flash floods in the area.

"In view of heavy rains and the warning of flash floods, all schools up to the secondary level (Class 10) shall remain closed in Ramban district today (June 26). Teachers will attend to their duties." Deputy Commissioner, Ramban said—(KS)