All flights have been delayed due to continued snowfall, Srinagar airport director Kuldeep Singh Rishi said. Visibility is only 200 meters, he added. To avoid inconvenience and congestion, passengers have been asked to check the flight status before arriving at the airport, Rishi added.
A landslide in the Ramban district caused the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to be closed to traffic on January 30, leaving a few hundred cars stuck on the main thoroughfare.
Between Chanderkote and Banihal in the district, the 270 km long highway, the only all-weather passable route connecting Kashmir to the rest of the nation, was blocked by landslides and rocks. Additionally, 300 vehicles are stuck at various road intersections as a result of this, and personnel and equipment have been dispatched to clear the area.
As fresh unrest in the west hit J&K and nearby areas this afternoon, rain and snow fell in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir. On January 30, the weather service forecast widespread light to moderate snowfall on the plains and rain in Jammu. A MeT official stated that the weather system was likely the cause of the moderate to heavy snowfall at mid and high altitudes.
On January 31, cloudy conditions with isolated to scattered snow/light rain are forecast. Partly cloudy weather is forecast for February 1-4.
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New Delhi’s minimum temperature on January 29 was 6.4 degrees Celsius, three degrees below the seasonal average. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is forecasting light showers and thunderstorms throughout the day. The relative humidity was 95% around 8:30 in the morning.
The highest temperature is expected to remain around 17 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD, which also forecasts mostly cloudy skies with light rain and thunderstorms during the day. On January 28, the minimum temperature in the national capital was 6.1 degrees Celsius and the maximum was 23.8 degrees Celsius.
(With inputs from the agency)