A western disturbance caused snow and light rain to fall in the hill states of northern India on Friday. Because of this, roads were closed, flights were canceled, and the temperatures in the plains got warmer at night.
The country’s capital had a low of 10.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees above average. The warmest it is likely to get is about 22 degrees Celsius.
Most places in Haryana and Punjab saw a slight rise in temperature on Friday, which was good news for people suffering from the cold.
In the state of Haryana, the lowest temperature ever recorded was 10 degrees Celsius in Ambala and 9.1 degrees Celsius in Hisar. Rohtak recorded a low of 11 degree Celsius, Karnal 9.7 degree Celsius, Sirsa 9.2 degrees Celsius and Kurukshetra 10.3 degree Celsius.
But it was cold in Narnaul, where the temperature fell to 7.5 degrees Celsius.
Punjab’s Amritsar recorded minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana 10 degree Celsius, Patiala 8.6 degree Celsius, Pathankot 10.5 degree Celsius, Faridkot 9.5 degree Celsius and Mohali 9.4 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, it got as cold as 7 degree Celsius at night in Bathinda.
Hill States Affected By Snow And Rain
- The western disturbance caused snow and light rain to fall in the hill states of northern India on Friday, resulting in road closures and flight cancellations
On Friday, it snowed again in Kashmir. This closed the national highway between Srinagar and Jammu and made it hard to get to and from the Valley by plane.
Snow fell in the tourist places of Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, and Budgam, the higher parts of Kupwara, Ganderbal, and Srinagar. On both sides of the Srinagar – Jammu national highway, snow and people throwing rocks stopped traffic between Ramban and Banihal. Kashmir is linked to the rest of the country by this all-weather road.
They also said that it was hard to run flights at the Srinagar airport because there was snow and it was hard to see.
Temperature Rise In The Plains
- Due to the western disturbance, temperatures in the plains got warmer at night. The country’s capital had a low of 10.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees above average
Even though the lowest temperature in Kashmir went up, the whole Valley was still below freezing. Srinagar got as cold as -0.1 degrees Celsius on Thursday night, which was warmer than the night before when it was -1.4 degrees Celsius. The Valley’s entrance, Qazigund, had temperatures as low as minus 0.6 degrees Celsius.
In Kokernag, which is in south Kashmir, the coldest it got was -1.4 degrees Celsius. The coldest it got in Kupwara was -1.5 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam, which is in the Anantnag district and is the base camp for annual Amarnath Yatra, had a temperature of -2.9 degrees Celsius when the sun went down.
Cold Conditions In Uttarakhand
- In the state of Uttarakhand, the well-known places in the Chamoli district, such as Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, Nanda Devi National Park, and Valley of Flowers, received snowfall. The cold conditions and snowfall made the people living in temporary relief camps feel worse.
Joshimath, in the state of Uttarakhand, sank because of land subsidence. Snow and rain fell on the area, making it even colder and making the people living in temporary relief camps feel even worse.
Aside from Joshimath, at an altitude of about 6,000 feet, snow fell in many other well-known places in the Chamoli district, such as Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, Nanda Devi National Park, and Valley of Flowers. The well-known Kedarnath temple in the Rudraprayag district had a lot of snow.
Snowfall And Road Closures In Kashmir
- On Friday, it snowed again in Kashmir, closing the national highway between Srinagar and Jammu and making it hard to get to and from the Valley by plane. Snowfall was also reported in tourist places like Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, and Budgam, and the higher parts of Kupwara, Ganderbal, and Srinagar
Gulmarg is in the district of Baramulla, and the coldest it got there was minus 7.6 degrees Celsius.
The weather office said the rain would fall in Kashmir from January 19 to January 25 because of western disturbances. It said that some parts of Jammu and Kashmir could get light to moderate rain or snow on Friday and Saturday.
The weather office said that from January 23 to 25, there would be more rain and snow than usual. There could be light to moderate snow in the plains of Kashmir, light to heavy snow in the middle and higher reaches, and rain in Jammu.
Kashmir is right in the middle of Chillai Kalan, which lasts 40 days and has the worst weather and most snow. December 21 is the first day of Chillai Kalan, and January 30 is the last. Chillai Khurd lasts 20 days, and Chillai Bachha lasts 10 days. Both are part of the cold wave.
In the higher parts of Himachal Pradesh, it snowed a little to a lot, the rain came and went all over the state because of storms in the west, and 278 roads had to be shut down.
Jalori Jot got 60 cm of snow in Kullu, and Rohtang Pass got 45 cm. The south entrance of the Atal Tunnel got 30 cm of snow, and so did Chansel.
Weather Forecast For Continued Snow And Rain
The weather office has forecasted that from January 23 to 25, there would be more rain and snow than usual in Jammu and Kashmir. Light to moderate snow is expected in the plains, light to heavy snow in the middle and higher reaches, and rain in Jammu
Chaurdhar and Dodrakwar got 25 cm of snow, Khadrala got 16 cm, and Shimla’s Jakho Peak and the area around it in Kufri got 3–10 cm of snow. After it rained 5.7 mm in Nahan and Bhuntar, it rained 16 mm in Manali, 11 mm in Gohar, and 8.3 mm in Tinder.
Rohtang Pass and Jalori Pass closed National Highways 3 and 305, and the part of NH 505 from Gramphu to Lossar was also closed. In Lahaul and Spiti, there were 177 closed roads, 64 in Shimla, 9 in Kinnaur, 5 in Chamba, 3 in Kullu, and 2 in Kangra and Sirmaur.
The weather office in the area says it will rain until January 26. Some places will see light rain and snow on January 21 and 22, and many in the mid and high hills will see light to moderate snow on January 23.
Apple growers were happy about the rain because they thought it would help them get a big crop. M. K. Seth, president of the Tourism Industry Stakeholders’ Association, said that after new snow fell in the state capital and its suburbs on Friday, hotel occupancy rates should go from 30% to over 70% by late Friday evening.
