*Amid Erratic Weather Forecast Till May 4, Temp Hovers Below Normal In J&K
Amid forecast for erratic weather till May 4, the night temperatures continued to hover below normal in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Saturday. A meteorological department official here told GNS that Srinagar recorded a low of 7.4°C against 6.5°C on the previous night and it was 1.9°C below normal for the summer capital.Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 7.2°C against 6.8°C on the previous night and it was 0.6°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of 3.8°C against 4.2°C on previous night and it was 0.6°C below normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.Kokernag recorded a low of 6.4°C against 5.7°C on the previous night and it was 1.7°C below normal for the place, the officials said.Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 0.5°C against minus 1.0°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 6.4°C against 5.6°C on the previous night and it was 1.4°C below normal for the north Kashmir area.Jammu recorded a low of 19.7°C against 19.4°C on the previous night. It was 2.2°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 7.6°C (2.1°C below normal), Batote 8.4°C (3.6°C below normal), Katra 14.8°C (4.1°C below normal) and Bhadarwah 6.4°C (2.5°C below normal). Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 4.4°C, the official said.Regarding rainfall in last 24 hours till 8:30 a.m. this morning, he said, Srinagar recorded 4.6mm, Qazigund 612.8mm, Pahalgam 12.9mm, Kupwara 0.8mm, Kokernag 8.2mm, Gulmarg 9.2mm, Banihal 10.2mm, Batote 0.6mm and Kathua 1.0mm.About the forecast, he said, from April 29- May 2nd, the weather is expected to be partly cloudy. “Possibility of intermittent rain/thunderstorm at scattered places is expected towards late afternoon/evening (50% chance).”From May 3-4, he said, there is possibility of widespread light to moderate rain and thunder in J&K. “Some places are likely to receive heavy rains,” he said. Overall, he said, weather is very likely to remain erratic till May 4. “Farmers are advised to postpone spraying of orchards till May 4,” he added. (GNS)