Snowfall in Valley hits road, air traffic

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 16

Fresh snowfall across the Kashmir valley on Wednesday snapped the region’s aerial connectivity with the rest of the country as it led to cancellation of flights and also disrupted traffic on internal roads.

The snowfall began late morning and continued throughout the day across most parts of the Valley with varying intensity, an official of the meteorological department said. The fresh snowfall was the sixth such spell in Kashmir during the ongoing winter which has witnessed abundant precipitation since early November.

The official said the snowfall was likely to decrease in intensity and spread over the next 24 hours but a fresh spell of snow was expected later in the week.

The fresh snow disrupted aerial traffic in the region as only five fights could land and take off during the early morning hours before the precipitation began. A senior official at Srinagar International Airport said 22 flights were cancelled as snowfall and low visibility led to disruptions that continued throughout the day.

Several district-level officials also issued advisories asking people to drive carefully as snow had made internal roads in the Valley slippery and dangerous for vehicular traffic.

The snow accumulation in recent weeks has led to closure of several mountainous roads and highways, including the Srinagar-Leh highway, Mughal Road, Kupwara-Keran road, Kupwara-Tangdhar road and Bandipora-Gurez road.

The Valley has been witnessing an exceptionally bitter winter this season with temperatures plunging to record low freezing levels and back-to-back spells of snowfall causing widespread disruptions.

The latest spell of snowfall has been caused by western disturbances while another such cyclonic storm is approaching the region and will impact the weather from Saturday onwards.