Srinagar: Intermittent rains continued to lash Jammu and Kashmir for the third day, bringing down the mercury to below-normal temperatures on Thursday, with MeT forecasting a wet spell till May 4.
In the last 24 hours, till 8:30 a.m. this morning, Srinagar recorded 39.7mm of rain, Qazigund 20.8mm, Pahalgam 19.3mm, Kupwara 21.0mm, Kokernag 31.6mm, Gulmarg 43.6mm, Jammu 3.8mm, Banihal 21.8mm, Batote 32.6mm, Katra 16.2mm, Bhaderwah 43.2mm and Kathua 3.8mm.
Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 7.0°C against 7.9°C on the previous night and it was 2.3°C below normal for the capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 6.6°C against 5.2°C on the previous night and it was 1.2°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of 3.5°C against 2.6°C on previous night and it was 0.9°C below normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of 5.2°C against 3.0°C on the previous night and it was 2.9°C below normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 0.5°C against 3.2°C on previous night and it was 4.7°C below normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at 3.4°C against 5.2°C on the previous night and it was 4.4°C below normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 19.1°C against 18.5°C on the previous night- below normal by 2.8°C and Katra logger 14.5°C (4.4°C below normal).
Pir Panchal’s Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 7.2°C (2.5°C below normal), Batote 7.0°C (5.0°C below normal), and Chenab’s Bhadarwah 6.8°C (2.3°C below normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of 2.6°C and minus 3.5°C respectively, the official said.
The MeT department has predicted that weather was likely to remain “erratic” till May 4.
From April 27-28, the official said, intermittent rain, thunderstorm and snowfall (over higher reaches) were very likely at most places of J&K. However, he said, there is no forecast of any major snowfall.
From April 29-3, he said, weather is likely to be partly to generally cloudy with possibility of intermittent rain, thunderstorm at scattered places.
“Overall, weather is very likely to remain erratic from April 27-May 4 in J&K,” he said. Also, the department has urged farmers to postpone spraying of orchards till May 4.
(GNS)
