Unseasonal snowfall in Kashmir affects normal life

Srinagar: Unseasonal snowfall in parts of Kashmir brought back the winter-like conditions in the Valley while several incidents of tourists and nomadic people getting stuck due to inclement weather were also reported, officials said.

Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Qazigund areas of the Valley received snowfall early in the morning, making the roads slippery, the officials said.

The weatherman has forecast improvement in weather conditions over the next 24 hours but warned of the possibility of cloudburst or lightning on Tuesday evening.

The day temperature has dropped to around 12 degrees Celsius against the normal of 24 degrees Celsius, the MeT officials said.

While the tourists were in for a pleasant surprise over the snowfall, the inclement weather caused hardships for the locals.

The unseasonal snowfall led to many nomadic people and their livestock getting stuck. More than 250 sheep were rescued by police and municipal officials at Kurigam in Qazigund area of the Kulgam district after the animals were stuck on an island due to a sudden rise in the water level of a local stream, they said.

The officials said several nomadic families were moved to safer places in the upper reaches of the district, they said.

A group of eight tourists including women and children were rescued by police near Jawahar Tunnel in Qazigund after their vehicle was stuck in snowfall in the early hours of the day, the officials said.

Rainfall over the past 24 hours in most parts of the Valley, and snowfall in some areas, has sent the mercury plummeting and people had to pull out their winter clothes again.