Srinagar, Sept 17: Rain continued in parts of south Kashmir and the eastern areas of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, while the Meteorological Department forecast a prolonged spell of pleasant weather from Friday.
A MeT official said the current spell of rainfall was part of the brief deterioration in weather conditions that the department had forecast around September 15-16.
“As we had said earlier, there would be a little deterioration in the weather between 15-16 and thereafter, and that is happening. At present also, similar weather is prevailing,” the official said.
Rain was being recorded in south Kashmir and eastern parts of the Valley, including Pahalgam and Malgam, while parts of Kishtwar and Jammu were also witnessing rainfall.
The official said there could be some drizzle around Srinagar on Thursday evening.
“Today evening, it is possible that some drizzle may again be seen around Srinagar,” he said.
From Friday, however, the weather is expected to improve significantly, with sunshine and warmer daytime temperatures forecast across the region.
“Overall, we can say that from tomorrow the weather will be very pleasant. There will be good sunshine during the day and it will be two to three degrees above normal,” the official said.
Night temperatures, meanwhile, are expected to remain below normal.
“But the night temperature will remain two to three degrees below normal,” he said.
The MeT official said the pleasant conditions could continue for nearly a week.
“Overall, from tomorrow we will have pleasant weather for the next five-six-seven days, up to the 25th, and you will see a pleasant spell,” he said.
Light snowfall in higher reaches
On reports of snowfall at hill stations, the official said only the highest reaches had received light snowfall, which was not significant enough to be considered a proper snowfall spell.
“If we talk about snowfall, the very upper reaches did receive light snowfall, but not much,” he said.
He explained that precipitation can temporarily turn into snow when temperatures approach the freezing point.
“Because the temperature comes close to zero, the rain converts into snow. Overall, we don’t call that snowfall. That has also subsided now and converted back into rain,” the official said.
Gulmarg recorded a minimum temperature of 5.6°C, while Banihal recorded 11.6°C, he said.
“Gulmarg recorded a lowest temperature of 5.6 degrees today, while in Banihal also the temperature was 11.6 degrees, meaning the night temperature has dipped to around 12 degrees,” the official said.
He said Thursday would continue to see similar conditions, before the weather improves from Friday.
“Overall, today will also remain like this. But from tomorrow, we will see pleasant weather for the next five to seven days,” he said.
