Unseasonal snowfall paralyses normal life in Kashmir

Srinagar: Some parts of Kashmir have been experiencing unseasonal snowfall. The winter-like weather conditions have been prevailing in the Valley. Several tourists and nomadic people were reported to have been stuck due to inclement weather conditions. Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Qazigund areas of the Valley were receiving snowfall early in the morning, making the roads slippery, officials said. 

The Met Office has predicted improvement in weather conditions over the next 24 hours. But, the possibility of cloudbursts or lightning is expected to take place on Tuesday evening. The day temperature has come down to around 12 degrees Celsius against the normal of 24 degrees Celsius. 

The tourists were rejoicing at the sudden snowfall. But, 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.  The animals were stuck on an island due to a sudden rise in the water level of a local stream. 

Several nomadic families were moved to safer places in the upper reaches of the district. 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. 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.