Snowfall in Kashmir Valley breaks extreme winter chill

Calcutta News.Net
Sunday 4th January, 2009 (IANS)

Light snowfall across the Kashmir Valley Sunday brought relief to people as it broke the extreme winter chill the region has been experiencing for a fortnight.

'While the Valley received light snowfall, a thick layer of snow has covered the upper reaches and the mountains here. We are expecting some more snowfall in the coming two days,' an official of the weather office here said.

It started snowing in the Valley late Saturday, he added.

The Valley has been experiencing sub-zero temperatures for the past fortnight, but the snowfall has broken the extreme chill as the minimum temperature here rose to around zero degree Celsius Sunday.

'Snowfall during the month of January creates the reserves for sufficient discharge in the rivers during summer months. Today’s snowfall is therefore a good omen for the people of the Valley,' said 65-year-old Habibullah, who lives in the Valley's Ganderbal district.

But children in summer capital Srinagar were a tad disappointed as there wasn’t enough snow on the ground to make snowmen and play traditional snow games.

'My 12-year-old son had been preparing to make a snowman in the garden, but he found little snow there today to carry out his plans,' said Shabir Ahmad, who lives in the uptown Rawalpora area of the city.

The Gulmarg ski resort in north Kashmir saw around two feet deep snow on the ground, while Sonmarg and Pahalgam tourist resorts also received a good amount of snowfall Sunday.

Authorities in Srinagar said snow-cutting machines and other arrangements have been kept ready to clear the highways in case of heavy snowfall.

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