Light Snow Graces J&K Highlands as Plains Stay Dry, Fog Snarls Jammu Travel
The region faces a prolonged dry spell during Chillai Kalan that threatens the snowpack needed for summer water.
Overview
- Fresh snowfall was recorded in higher reaches on Jan. 4, with about 3 inches in Gulmarg and flakes reported in Bhaderwah and nearby Pir Panjal areas, while the plains remained dry.
- Forecasts call for mostly dry weather through mid-January: Jan. 4–5 largely dry, Jan. 6 generally cloudy with a chance of light snow over isolated higher reaches, and Jan. 7–15 partly cloudy with no major wet spell expected.
- Officials continue to project generally dry conditions across Jammu and Kashmir until around Jan. 20 during the ongoing Chillai Kalan period.
- Dense fog over the Jammu plains disrupted transport on Jan. 4, delaying eight flights at Jammu Airport and affecting train schedules, with a three-day fog advisory warning of poor visibility.
- Minimum temperatures stayed well below freezing at several Valley stations, including Srinagar at −3.2°C, Gulmarg at −6.5°C, and Pahalgam at −4.0°C, and doctors advised heart and lung patients to avoid early-morning exposure.