Fresh snowfall in Kashmir, flights cancelled, orange alert issued

Kashmir Valley witnessed a fresh spell of snowfall on Tuesday (January 4). While Srinagar, recorded rain and snowfall of 7.1mm, Gulmarg recorded 8.4 inches (21cm) of fresh snowfall. Another tourist resort, Pahalgam, recorded 13.5 cms of snowfall.

The authorities canceled around 34 flights to and from Srinagar today due to poor visibility amid rains and snowfall. The authorities also said that it's unlikely that remaining flights would be taking off from Srinagar today. 

The road connectivity has also been impacted due to the fresh snowfall. The road from Srinagar-Kargil has been shut. The Gurez-Bandipora road has also been closed for traffic after the snowfall. The Mughal road from Kashmir to Jammu has also been closed today. 

The MeT has also issued an ‘orange alert’ across the Valley as the snowfall is expected to increase in the coming 24 hours. There are chances of snow avalanches and landslides in vulnerable areas of North Kashmir. It has been advised that people in snow-bound areas should not venture out. 

However, Tourists seem to be enjoying the snowfall the most. From Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar, tourists could be seen enjoying the snowfall and playing with the snow. Most of them say it's the reason they came down to Kashmir. 

"It's a dreamland and one of the reasons to come here was to witness the snow.It's nothing less than a dream come true. I am traveling with friends and I have never enjoyed this much before. We are all loving it," said Rahul Kumar,Tourist from Rajasthan. 

While snowfall brings cheer on the faces of tourists, it brings a lot of problems to the locals living in the valley.