Kashmir Valley receives thickest snowfall in 25 years
Kashmir Valley receives thickest snowfall in 25 years
Earlier, it had snowed heavily in February 2006 but it wasn't as much as this year's snowfall. This year's wildest washout is coinciding with 'chillai kalan', which is the harshest period of winter in Kashmir.

The beautiful Kashmir Valley turned into a picturesque after receiving a thickest whiteout in 25 years this February. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) release dated February 3 mentioned that the minimum temperatures were less than 5.0°C at many places over Jammu & Kashmir and at a few places over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. January received three spells of heavy snowfall of over 16.2cm in January alone. A total of 23cm snowfall has been recorded so far in the Valley this year, IMD reported.

Earlier, it had snowed heavily in February 2006 but it wasn't as much as this year's snowfall. This year's wildest washout is coinciding with 'chillai kalan', which is the harshest period of winter in Kashmir. The 'chillai kalan' lasts from December 21 to January 30. The heavy snowfall in the Kashmir Valley triggered landslides at several places, bringing normal life to a standstill.



Temperatures were less than 10.0°C at many places over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Assam & Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram& Tripura as February commenced. Few isolated places over Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha on few days and over Bihar and Chhattisgarh on one/two days of the week.

The western disturbance in January this year caused, fairly widespread to wide spread rainfall/snowfall activity with heavy to very heavy rainfall/snowfall at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir on 24-26th and Himachal Pradesh on 26th January. Light to moderate rainfall/snowfall occurred over Uttarakhand; scattered to fairly widespread rainfall over plains of northwest India on 26th January.

Labourers clearing snow from a hut after recent heavy snowfall at ski resort Gulmarg in of North Kashmir on Wednesday.
© PTILabourers clearing snow from a hut after recent heavy snowfall at ski resort Gulmarg in of North Kashmir on Wednesday.
In addition to forecast bulletins, a special press release was issued on 22nd January 2017 regarding possible adverse weather over northwest India. IMD also issued special nowcast bulletins to higher official including about the severe weather for the effective management of Republic day celebration.

The snowfall in northern India, especially in the Kashmir Valley Tourism industry severely affected the tourism sector as no traffic was allowed to ply on highway. The 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar highway, the only road linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was closed due to fresh heavy snowfall earlier this week. Reports stated that over 1,500 vehicles are stranded on the highway. The continues snowfall and incessant rain have caused power outage in the Valley. On February 6, Gulmarg recorded the minimum temperature of minus 9.0 degrees, a drop of over five degrees from minus 3.4 degrees Celsius.