Latest news with #ArifAhmad
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Rains bring much needed relief from intense heat in Kashmir
Torrential rains drenched Kashmir valley on Monday bringing some momentary relief in the hot weather conditions prevailing in the Himalayan region for the past more than a month. People in Srinagar after rainfall lashed Srinagar on Monday. (Waseem Andrabi/HT) The rains started in the afternoon in parts of Pahalgam in South Kashmir, Srinagar in Central Kashmir and Handwara in North Kashmir. However, by late evening heavy rains lashed most parts of the valley, including northern Baramulla district and majority of the city. 'The rains have brought a welcome relief from the intense hot weather in Kashmir. At many places people came out to drench in the rains even though the intensity of the rains was so severe,' said Arif Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar. There were hailstorms and gusty winds in various parts of the city. 'Strong winds uprooted a tree between Batwara and Pandrethan, which crashed onto an e-rickshaw causing damage while the road continues to remain blocked,' said Faizan Arif, a weather spotter. Many low lying areas of Srinagar were inundated with rain water. 'On Nallamar road and Khankah Moula, the storm water is overflowing the roads and has entered into shops causing damage to the goods and merchandise,' said a resident of Old City. Less snow, precipitation: Why Kashmir is sizzling in 2025 Kashmir is experiencing multiple bouts of heatwave this summer with temperatures breaking records of the past 70 years, prompting the experts to delve into the reasons for such unusually hot weather. The heatwave has not only deteriorated the quality of life but also affected vegetable crops and fruit orchards besides drying up water bodies, including river Jhelum, due to extended dry weather conditions. The experts say that the heatwave is not just because of the immediate dry weather this summer but also because of less precipitation right from the beginning of winter. 'We had very little snowfall this winter with no major snow cover over the mountains. In fact the Amarnath Yatris this year are also surprised to find negligible snow on the tracks leading up to cave shrine at a height of 3,880 metres deep in the Himalayas,' said Farooq Ahmad Bhat, senior meteorologist at IMD's Srinagar centre. He said that a heavy snow cover would help immediate rains in summer after just a few days of hot weather. 'In normal days, the hot weather would cause evaporation leading to rains after a few days. But this year, the very little snowfall we had has already melted in March and there is nothing to melt over mountains to go into rivers for evaporation and cause rains. Hence, more the dry weather, there is more increase in temperatures,' he said. Kashmir valley witnessed heatwaves this summer right from May- first between May 18 to 27 and then from June 9 onwards - breaking decades old temperature records and severely affecting the life of the people not used to such high temperatures. Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar on Saturday recorded the hottest day in 72 years at 37.4°C , the third highest maximum temperature in history in the city. 'The second highest temperature in Srinagar has been 37.7°C which was recorded on 5 July 1953 while the all -time highest temperature of 38.3°C over Srinagar had been observed on July 10, 1946,' said MeT director Mukhtar Ahmad. In Pahalgam tourist resort, the all times highest temperature of 31.6°C was recorded on Saturday, up from previous highest of 31.5°C on July 21 last year. Bhat said that Kashmir valley this year was hotter than the Jammu division which used to sizzle in normal circumstances. 'The Jammu division has been receiving monsoon rains regularly, while the Kashmir division has been hotter due to absence of moisture currents which only reach Reasi, Katra and Pir Panjal (mountain) region,' he said. Not only this month so far, the Jammu and Kashmir summer capital Srinagar has also recorded the hottest June month since 1978, and second hottest since 1892, the MeT has said. The average maximum mean temperature for the month of June 2025 stood at 31°C just below 32.9°C which was recorded in June 1978. Director MeT Mukhtar Ahmad said that the shifting global weather patterns like increase in temperatures due to climate change are also contributing factors. 'Our main sources of precipitation are western disturbances rather than monsoon rains. This year western disturbances didn't bring much snowfall while monsoon rains, already very less in Kashmir, are also shying away,' he said. Western disturbances are moisture laden winds from the Mediterranean which account for three-forth of the Valley's precipitation. He said that another factor was hot nights which would aggravate the day temperatures. 'There has been this trend of cloud cover during nights which would keep nights hot and humid and then the day temperatures would break further records,' he said. He, however, hopes for some relief as monsoon brought some rains on Monday. 'Currently there are some showers in Pahalgam and Kokernag in south Kashmir, Srinagar's Nishat areas and northern Handwara area but these are localised. Monsoons are not like western disturbances which cover the whole region,' he said.
Hindustan Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Six civilians injured in Pakistan shelling along LoC in north Kashmir
At least six civilians, including three children, were injured and several buildings were damaged after Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling in Tangdhar and Karnah sectors of Kupwara district and Uri in north Kashmir's Baramulla district after India carried out missile strikes under Operation Sindoor against nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early on Wednesday. A child injured in Pakistani shelling receives treatment at a hospital at Uri in Baramulla district on Wednesday. (PTI Photo) The shelling, which started around midnight in Uri and Tangdhar, forced people to take refuge in underground bunkers, where they spent a tensed night. This was the 13th consecutive night of firing amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. This is also the first time shelling was carried out since the ceasefire agreement was renewed in 2021. While the Pakistani shelling continued till daybreak in Uri, it is still underway in Tangdhar though the intensity is lower. 'We are living in panic since 1am when the shelling began. We don't have bunkers so are staying put at home,' said Arif Ahmad, a resident of Uri. Another resident of Salamabad said three houses in the area were damaged in the shelling. 'The shells landed in residential areas. We spent a sleepless night. We are seeing such intense shelling after long time,' he said. A senior health officer said he had inputs about injuries in Uri's Salamabad town. At Karnah in Kupwara district, the residents had to take shelter in underground bunkers to escape the shelling, officials said. Some houses and other buildings suffered heavy damage, while few caught fire due to the heavy shelling from across the LoC, they said. 'We spent a terrible long night. It was as if the night would never end. Our hearts sank every time we heard a loud bang of heavy shells. We had to move to safer locations and take shelter to save our lives amid the heavy shelling,' Naseer Ahmad, a local resident, said Due to the cross-LoC shelling, the government closed all educational institutions in north Kashmir and parts of Jammu region. 'In view of the prevailing situation, all educational institutions in Baramulla, Kupwara, and Gurez will remain closed till further orders,' Kashmir divisional commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said. Elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar, people spent an anxious night after news broke about the missile strikes. With heightened air activity around Srinagar, residents were awake through the second half of the night, anxiously monitoring social media and news channels for updates. 'I was woken up by the noise as jets were flying around. I checked social media and came to know about the strikes in Pakistan,' Srinagar resident Owais Nisar said.
