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Kashmir receives snowfall

- PHOTO: Nissar Ahmad

Keeping warm: Kashmiris gather around a fire to beat the cold as temperatures drop in Srinagar on Sunday.

SRINAGAR: Icy winds swept Kashmir as the high altitude areas including the famous ski resort of Gulmarg experienced snowfall on Sunday.

Reports of snowfall were received from higher reaches, mostly in North-west of Kashmir and parts of frontier Ladakh region.

Gulmarg, 55 kms from here in North Kashmir, witnessed a mild snowfall but its peripheral areas including Aferwath and Sunshine peak received two to three inches of snow during the day.

Farkian Gali, Sadna Top, Razdan pass, Tulail and Gurez along the Line of Control also experienced mild to heavy snowfall, MET office said, adding, snowfall was also reported in the mountains surroundng Uri sector.

Gumri and Matian near Zojilla Pass in Kargil and Khardungla in Leh were lashed by the snow.

The authorities recently decided to keep the Srinagar-Leh highway open till weather permits although dumping of essential commodities at both Leh and Kargil was completed by October end.

Mild snowfall was also reported from higher altitudes in South and Central Kashmir including the areas around the 3,880 metre holy shrine of Amarnath.

In rest of the valley including Srinagar, the weather remained cloudy with icy winds sweeping across the state, further bringing down the temperatures.

The famous hill resort Pahalgam, 100 kms from here in South Kashmir which serves as the base camp for pilgrims during the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 0.2 degrees Celsius - the lowest in any part of the valley.

However, the day temperature at the hill resort was slightly higher than other parts of the valley with mercury touching 16.0 degrees celsius.

Srinagar recorded a high of 15.5 and a low of 2.5 degrees Celsius, a spokesman of the MET office told PTI.

On the other hand, the winter capital Jammu where the state government has shifted as part of the bi-annual darbar move recorded a maximum of 27.4 and a minimum of 14.6 degrees celsius.

The civil Secretariat and other offices will reopen in Jammu tomorrow for six-months functioning. - PTI

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Kashmir receives snowfall

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