Temperatures on Friday night settled below freezing across Kashmir, but rose in most areas, while a ‘yellow’ weather warning has been issued for thunderstorms in Himachal Pradesh.
Heavy-duty machinery clears snow from Mughal Road, which connects Shopian district to Poonch-Rajouri, after fresh snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday. (PTI)Saturday marked the beginning of ‘Chillai Khurd’ and the end of the harshest winter in Kashmir.
The Meteorological Department has predicted light to moderate rain or snow, especially in higher elevations, they said. The minimum temperature in Srinagar city settled at minus 0.1 degrees Celsius on Friday night, down from 1.3 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Meanwhile, the Border Road Organization (BRO) on Saturday restored a 112-km stretch of road connectivity, reconnecting the Doda-Kishtwar belt of Jammu and Kashmir with Himachal Pradesh after conducting intensive snow-clearing operations amid extreme weather last week.
The Kishtwar-Sansari road, where the work has been completed, connects the union territory with the Lahaul-Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh.
The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy snowfall and rain in Himachal Pradesh on February 1. Also, a ‘yellow’ weather alert has been issued for 12 districts of the state for isolated thundershowers with wind speed of 60 kmph and gusty winds.
Snowfall and rain are expected to continue in the central and higher hills of the state till February 3, during which the weather will remain dry in the plains and lower hills. Weather is expected to remain dry across the state from February 4.
The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 6.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, 1.7 degrees below the season’s average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
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Station-wise data showed that Palam recorded the minimum temperature of 8.1 degrees Celsius, Lodi Road recorded 7.1 degrees Celsius, Ridge station recorded 7.7 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar recorded 6.6 degrees Celsius.
The city’s base weather station Safdarjung recorded a night temperature of 6.7 degrees Celsius.
Air quality was recorded in the ‘poor’ category at 9 am on Saturday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 278, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
The Met department has forecast above-normal minimum and maximum temperatures for February, indicating less chilly nights and warmer afternoons as winter conditions weaken earlier than normal.
Cold-flow days are also expected to remain below normal in parts of northwest India, including Delhi, a pattern meteorologists attribute to weakening La Nina conditions.
In Punjab, Faridkot was the coldest place on Saturday with a minimum temperature of 3.8 degrees Celsius, as the state along with neighboring Haryana was reeling under severe cold conditions.
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Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, where residents woke up to a thick blanket of fog, recorded a minimum temperature of 7.7 degrees Celsius.
A weather official here said fog was also seen at many places in Punjab, including Amritsar, Patiala and Ludhiana and Haryana’s Ambala, Karnal and Hisar.
It was very cold in Bathinda, where the minimum temperature was recorded at 4 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana recorded a minimum of 5.4 degrees Celsius while Patiala recorded a minimum of 5.6 degrees Celsius.
Punjab and Haryana received more rain than expected in January, the Met office said on Saturday.
Cold conditions persisted in most parts of the state, even as fog reduced visibility in some areas.
According to weather data, both Punjab and Haryana received excess rains in January. Punjab received 34.4 mm rainfall, which is 69 percent above normal rainfall.
In Rajasthan, cloudy weather and rain are likely in several parts of the state from Saturday due to the impact of a new western depression, the Met department said.
A cyclonic circulation has formed over the state. Consequently, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Kota, Ajmer and Udaipur divisions, including the Shekhawati belt, are likely to experience light to moderate rain with occasional thundershowers on January 31 and February 1. Hail may also occur at isolated places, the department said.
Another western depression is expected to become active on February 2, continuing light to moderate rainfall over East Rajasthan including Kota, Jaipur, Ajmer and Bharatpur divisions on February 3 and 4.
