In Photos: Fresh Snowfall Brings Relief to J&K After a Dry January

The month of January was the driest in terms of rainfall in Kashmir in the past 38 years, according to the MeT.

Two men walk in heavy snow in Srinagar.

(Photo Courtesy: Muneeb ul Islam)

The much awaited snowfall finally came after the dry spell of Chali-Kalan, the harshest winter period in Kashmir. The dry spell this year worried farmers and people associated with tourism and horticulture. Kashmir also saw a decline in tourists this season. The water bodies also depend on the quantity of snowfall.

A girl cycles her way to study despite heavy snowfall.

“The snowfall will delay the blossoms in spring which in turn will increase the quantity and quality of fruits,” Ghulam Nabi, a fruit grower from a village in Anantnag said.

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only link to the rest of the country, was closed on Monday. However people in the Valley are feeling blessed. They believe that the water crisis will end in the coming days and the weather will be fruitful for crop yields.

Two men throw snowballs at each other as they enjoy the much-awaited snowfall.

The highway has been closed due to slippery road conditions caused by fresh snowfall at the Jawahar tunnel and other areas.

A Traffic Department Official

People waiting at the bus stop in the snow.

The snowfall also led to poor visibility at the Srinagar airport, disrupting air traffic as well.

"Current visibility is 600 metres and the runway is not available up to 10:30 am due to snowfall. The situation will be reviewed after that," an official of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said.

Trucks lined up as the only link into the state has been shut due to the heavy snowing.

There was some snowfall in early December last year and since then the weather has been mostly dry.

According to Meteorological (MeT) Department officials, the month of January was the driest in terms of rainfall in Kashmir in the past 38 years.

Two people cross a park in Srinagar

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature across the Valley stayed around the freezing point, except for Gulmarg, the skiing resort in north Kashmir where the mercury settled at minus 4.6 degrees Celsius.

A pedestrian crosses the street in the snow

Kargil in the Ladakh region continued to be the coldest place in the state at minus 14 degrees Celsius, while nearby Leh town was also freezing at minus 11.3 degrees Celsius last night, the MeT officials said.

Two men walk in raincoats in the snow