SRINAGAR: A thick layer of fog engulfed parts of Kashmir on Saturday as the Kashmir Valley braces for widespread snowfall, with the possibility of heavy snow over the middle and the higher reaches, officials said.
Dense fog engulfed several parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar, in the morning, they said. The fog affected air traffic to and from the Valley as poor visibility hit flight operations at the Srinagar airport.
Several flights were delayed but operations resumed with the visibility improving and the first flight landed at 11:13 am, the officials said.
The Met office said a moderate to strong western disturbance was likely to affect Jammu and Kashmir, and light to moderate snow at most places was possible, with the peak activity from Saturday night to Monday morning.
There is a possibility of heavy snow over the middle and the higher reaches of Kashmir and the Chenab valley from Saturday night to Sunday late night or Monday morning.
The Met has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for Saturday. An ‘orange’ warning has been issued for Sunday when there is a possibility of widespread snowfall with heavy snow at isolated places.
There could be temporary disruption of surface and air transportation, particularly on Sunday, it warned.
In wake of the Met forecast of moderate to heavy snowfall, the authorities asked people to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary travel during adverse weather conditions to ensure safety and minimise disruptions.
District administrations have set up control rooms to assist the public, the officials said.
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