Srinagar, March 11 The snowfall in the upper reaches of Kashmir and moderate rain in the valley plains continued for the second day on Wednesday, officials said here.
Areas like Keran, Macchil (Kupwara district), Gurez in Bandipora district, and the Sonamarg-Zojila axis in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district received snowfall, officials said, adding that the rain continued to affect the plains of the valley, including Srinagar.
The snowfall and rainfall, which began on Tuesday, ended the prolonged dry spell in the Union Territory, which recorded its seventh consecutive winter rainfall deficit this year.
The core winter period of this season – from December 2025 to February 2026 – ended with a massive 65 per cent shortfall from the season's normal, with the region receiving just 100.6 mm of precipitation against a normal of 284.9 mm.
December saw an actual rainfall of 13 mm against the normal of 59.4 mm, a shortfall of 78 per cent.
January witnessed an actual rainfall of 73.4 mm against the normal of 95.1 mm, a shortfall of 23 per cent.
Besides the rainfall deficit, February also saw unusually high average temperatures, with Srinagar's average daytime temperature reaching 15.6 degrees Celsius during the month, surpassing the previous record of 14.9 degrees Celsius in 2016.
The second fortnight of February saw the mercury rise to 20 degrees Celsius, pushing the monthly average past the 15-degree mark.
While January saw some western disturbance activity, which prevented a total seasonal collapse, the rainfall received was still below normal and could not compensate for December's shortfall.
In February, the actual rainfall was only 14.2 mm compared to the normal of 130.4 mm, a shortfall of 89 per cent.
Meanwhile, the meteorological department here has forecast cloudy weather with moderate rain or snow in the higher reaches at isolated places over the next 24 hours.
A few higher reaches of Kupwara, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Anantnag may receive moderate snowfall, it said.