SRINAGAR: The weather department on Monday predicted scattered light rain and snow in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.
Quoting a meteorological department official the news agency GNS reported, “From March 1-2nd, light rain is expected in plains and light to moderate snow and rain over higher reaches at many places, Dry weather is expected during 3rd to 7th March.”
Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 4.2°C against 7.3°C on the previous night and it was above normal by 2.7°C for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 1.5°C against 5.2°C on the previous night and it was 1.1°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 0.9°C against 3.2°C on the previous night and it was 2.6°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of 2.4°C against 4.3°C on the previous night and it was 2.3°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 2.5°C against minus 1.6°C on the previous night and it was 3.3°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at 3.1°C against 3.0°C on the previous night and it was 3.1°C above normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 15.1°C against 12.5°C on the previous night. It was 3.5°C above normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 2.8°C (above normal by 0.6°C), Batote 6.5°C (above normal by 3.0°C), Katra 12.6°C (3.3°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 4.1°C (3.3°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 6.2°C and 4.8°C respectively, the official said.
While Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21 and a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that followed it have ended, Kashmir is under grip of 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which ends on March 1.
Srinagar, Feb 25: The weather department on Thursday forecast scattered to fairly widespread light rain and snow over Jammu and Kashmir in next 24 hours.
A meteorological department official here told GNS that scattered light rain and snow was expected for subsequent two days.
Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 1.6°C, the same as on the previous night and it was above normal by 0.1°C for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 0.2°C, also the same on the previous night and it was 0.2°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 3.2°C against minus 3.8°C on the previous night and it was 0.3°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of 2.5°C against 2.0°C on the previous night and it was 2.4°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 1.0°C against minus 3.4°C on the previous night and it was 4.8°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at minus 0.3°C against 0.2°C on the previous night and it was 0.3°C above normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 11.2°C against 10.2°C on the previous night. It was 0.6°C ‘below’ normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 6.4°C (above normal by 4.2°C), Batote 8.0°C (above normal by 4.5°C), Katra 11.6°C (2.1°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 3.7°C (2.9°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 9.0°C and 12.4°C respectively, the official said.
While Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21 and a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that followed it have ended, Kashmir is under grip of 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which ends on March 1. (GNS)
Deep underneath the sodden soils and the berms of snow that now coat California, fuels for fire are waiting to sprout. Grasses and other quick-growing vegetation, spurred by the downpours that saturated the state at the start of the year, quickly turn to kindling as the weather warms.
“When that rain comes – and it came last month – that results in significant fuel load increases,” said Isaac Sanchez, a CalFire battalion chief. “[Plants] are going to grow, they are going to die, and then they are going to become flammable fuel as the year grinds on.”
While experts say it’s still too early to predict what’s in store for the months ahead and if weather conditions will align to help infernos ignite, it’s clear the rains that hammered California this winter came as a mixed blessing, delivering badly needed relief while posing new risks. Along with seeding the tinder of tomorrow, the inclement weather hampered efforts to perform essential landscape treatments needed to mitigate the risks of catastrophic fire.
“That is now the reality of the environment in the state that we live in,” Sanchez, added. “We are constantly facing a double-edged sword.”
Reservoirs are more robust than they have been in years. The snowpack, which will slowly release moisture into thirsty landscapes through the spring and summer, is 134% of its average for April, giving the state an important head start. The rains also bumped California out of the most extreme categories of drought, according to the latest analysis from the US Drought Monitor.
But the storms also left behind a dangerous mess.
Strong winds ripped trees from their roots and tore down branches, littering ignition opportunities throughout high-risk areas. Through the slopes and mountainsides, saturated earth crumbled, chewing gaps through roads and highways and hindering access. If these issues linger into the summer and autumn months, they could augment fire dangers.
A tree which toppled during recent storms sits next to the road on 11 January, in Santa Cruz, California. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images
The deluges also washed out winter plans for prescribed burning – which are often years in the making.
“Those big rains effectively shut down our ability to broadcast burning across the landscape,” said Scott Witt, deputy chief of pre fire planning at CalFire, a division that focuses on mitigation. Adding controlled fire to landscapes is a proven strategy that both creates healthier, more resilient forests and also reduces fuels that can escalate fire severity, but conditions have to be right before they are set.
Landscapes that are too wet won’t burn and high moisture levels can also increase smoke output during a burn, putting the plan at odds with air quality control. Stormy conditions – especially wind – can make them too hard to control.
Other types of treatments, including those that use machines to clear vegetation from overgrown landscapes, were less affected but the storms caused issues with access, Witt said. “We have had areas that have been damaged to the point where roads were washed out, so roadwork needs to be done prior to us bringing resources in,” he said. “The heavy rains do have the potential of limiting or adjusting where we do our treatments.”
Data from the agency, published on Friday, shows the number of treatments conducted by the state and its affiliates in December and January is roughly 50% lower than it was the year prior.
There may still be time to amp up the work if conditions are favorable through the spring, and the state was able to do more work than expected during a dry fall. But there is a lot of ground to cover and the state is already playing catch-up after more than a century of fire suppression left forests overgrown and primed to burn.
One of the many rockslides on highway 154 after the storms that shut down the highway between Santa Barbara and Solvang/Santa Ynez. Photograph: Amy Katz/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock
Now, the climate crisis turned up the dial. Spiking temperatures now pull more moisture out of plants, landscapes and the atmosphere, setting the stage for once-healthy ignitions to turn into infernos. The sisyphean task of treating and retreating the lands is a daunting one, especially now that there’s even more fuel on the ground after the storms – and time is running short.
It takes just days for smaller plants to dry after the rain stops, Witt said, “and dead grasses will start to dry out within an hour or two”. It’s not yet clear whether California will get much more of a dousing before spring. The heavy snowpack could help delay the onset of risks but “if we continue to stay in a dry pattern – even though we had a really strong beginning of winter,” Witt said, “we could easily have an early fire season”.
Noting the urgency, Adrienne Freeman, a spokesperson with the United States Forest Service who is based in California, said the outlook was not as grim as it might appear. There was still a lot that could happen before the onset of high-risk weather.
The cold, rainy conditions also helped forests recover from the drought, which will make them more burn-resistant. Water tables are looking far better and bug species that wreak havoc on vulnerable trees are being better kept at bay. “There is a lot of good news ecologically and we can’t separate that,” she said, noting that the boost may not go as far as it might have in a world without climate change.
“And as far as getting the work done, we just have to remember it is a long-term process,” she added, emphasizing that the effects of landscape treatments must be measured across decades, not years. “It took 150 years to happen, and it is not going to be fixed in a season.”
The 132,000-acre Rancho San Fernando Rey, 100 miles north of Los Angeles, now has a lush and abundant river running through it, thanks to the rains that filled the usually dry valley. Photograph: Amy Katz/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock
Acknowledging that the storms affected the agency’s ability to conduct landscape treatments this winter, she said there’s still a lot of work being done. “It doesn’t really have any bearing on what we will be able to do in the spring or how fire season will look in the summer and fall,” she said. “It is way too early for us to anticipate how this is going to affect fire season.”
What will have greater bearing on fire risks this year is the conditions that align come summer and fall – and those are harder to predict.
“There’s a lot left to luck,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council, echoing Freeman. Last year, when risks were high and the winter was dry, timing fell in California’s favor. Fewer catastrophic fires erupted and, while there were high-severity burns that were deadly and destructive, the acreage scorched by the end of the year was only a fraction of what it was in years past.
This year the conditions are very different. Going into spring with more snow, and wetter soils, different kinds of risks remain. “It speaks to our need to continually think about fire,” Quinn-Davidson said. While the weather will do what it will, more than can be done to prepare for the worst. That includes building on the growing momentum to perform more prescribed burns and other treatments, to champion fire-ready communities, and listen to and learn from Indigenous leaders who performed cultural burns for centuries before white colonizers disrupted essential and natural cycles on the lands.
With harder-to-predict weather patterns, agencies and organizations charged with this work will have to be nimble. “We really need to be ready when the windows present themselves to take advantage of them,” she said, adding that this is where community-based fire management groups – which are sprouting up all over the state – shine.
That’s what gives her hope. Even if some conditions can be left up to chance, there is a lot that can be done. “We have a lot of power and ownership,” she said, noting that landscapes are shaped by people. It will be up to people and communities to ensure the tools are in place to prevent the worst kinds of fires from erupting “We just have to have our hearts in the right place.”
[ad_2]
#Doubleedged #sword #badly #needed #rains #California #fuel #catastrophic #fires
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
SRINAGAR: Parts of Kashmir Valley including Gulmarg received fresh snowfall while rains lashed plains in the last 24 hours. The weather has improved and is likely to stay mainly dry for next 24 hours even though there are chances of scattered rains and snow at isolated places.
Quoting a meteorological department official news agency GNS reported that Srinagar received 0.8mm of rain during the 24 hours till 0830 hours today, Qazigund 27.6mm, Kokernag 22.2mm while Pahalgam had 7.4cms of snow, Kupwara 32cm( over 1-ft) and Gulmarg 33 cms(over 1.1-ft). Rains also lashed Jammu region with Jammu city receiving 1.1mm, Banihal 49.1mm, Batote 27.3mm, Katra 3.1mm, Bhaderwah 31.4mm during the time, he said.
Meanwhile, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 0.7°C against 0.4°C on the previous night. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was above normal by 0.5°C for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 1.8°C against minus 0.8°C on the previous night and it was 2.0°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 0.3°C against minus 2.4°C on the previous night and it was 4.7°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.6°C, the same as on the previous night and it was 2.1°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 4.0°C against minus 4.2°C on the previous night and it was 2.2°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at minus 0.5°C against 2.3°C on the previous night and it was 0.7°C above normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 12.8°C against 9.9°C on the previous night. It was 2.7°C above normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 2.0°C (above normal by 0.8°C), Batote 2.2°C (below normal by 0.4°C), Katra 10.6°C (2.5°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 2.1°C (1.9°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 8.0°C and minus 9.2°C respectively, the official said.
While Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21 has ended, Kashmir is under the grip of a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’. It will be followed by a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday announced relief of Rs 20,000 per hectare for the farmers of the delta region who have lost crops due to unseasonal rains.
Stalin made the announcement after getting feedback from the ministers and other bureaucrats who visited the rain-affected districts of Myladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, and Nagapattinam.
The relief package, according to a statement from the Chief Minister’s office, includes Rs 20,000 per hectare of harvest-ready paddy to farmers who have lost 33 per cent of their crops in heavy rains. This is on the basis of the disaster management rules of the government.
The Chief Minister also issued orders to distribute 8 kg of crop seeds per acre at a 50 per cent subsidy to urad dal farmers who have lost their crops during the unusual rains in delta districts of the state and to undertake urad dal cultivation again.
The package announced by Stalin includes provision of paddy harvesting machines on rent at a 50 per cent subsidy to paddy farmers through the State Agriculture Engineering Department. The Chief Minister also directed officials to undertake additional crop harvest checks in villages.
SRINAGAR: Rains lashed most plains including Srinagar while some parts of the Kashmir Valley received fresh snowfall with Gulmarg receiving more than one foot of it since overnight, officials said here on Monday.
The weather department here also said that intermittent light rain and snow was likely to continue till afternoon and thereafter gradual improvement was expected.
On February 7 and 8, news agency GNS quoted meteorological department official as having said that the weather would be “partly cloudy”. “Widespread light to moderate snowfall and rain was expected at many places from February 9-11,” he said. However, he said, “no major snowfall” was expected during the next one week.
He said that in last 24 hours till 0830 hours today, Srinagar received 5.2mm of rain, Qazigund 5.6mm, Kukernag 11.2mm, Jammu 1mm, Banihal 9.0mm, Batote 9.2cm, Katra 1.2mm, and Bhaderwah 3.6mm while Gulmarg received 35 cms (1.14-ft) of snowfall, Kupwara 5cms and Pahalgam 2cms.
Meanwhile amid cloud cover, the minimum temperature saw further increase except at a few places with Srinagar recording a low of 1.8°C, the same as on the previous night. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was above normal by 2.2°C for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of minus 1.6°C against 0.4°C on the previous night and it was 3.1°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 0.2°C against minus 5.4°C on the previous night and it was 6.0°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 1.1°C against 0.0°C on the previous night and it was 3.1°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 3.6°C against minus 6.4°C on the previous night and it was 3.1°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury recorded a drop and settled at minus 0.3°C against 2.9°C on the previous night and it was 1.7°C above normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 11.9°C against 8.3°C °C on the previous night. It was 2.4°C above normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 4.2°C (above normal by 3.2°C), Batote 3.1°C (above normal by 0.9°C), Katra 10.5°C (3.1°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 3.8°C (4.1°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 9.5°C and minus 14.0°C respectively, the official said. While Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21 has ended, Kashmir is under the grip of a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’. It will be followed by a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1.
Srinagar, Feb 6: Rains lashed most plains including Srinagar while some parts of the Kashmir Valley received fresh snowfall with Gulmarg receiving more than one foot of it since overnight, officials said here on Monday.
The weather department here also said that intermittent light rain and snow was likely to continue till afternoon and thereafter gradual improvement was expected.
On February 7 and 8, a meteorological department official here told GNS that the weather would be “partly cloudy”. “Widespread light to moderate snowfall and rain was expected at many places from February 9-11,” he said. However, he said, “no major snowfall” was expected during the next one week.
He said that in last 24 hours till 0830 hours today, Srinagar received 5.2mm of rain, Qazigund 5.6mm, Kukernag 11.2mm, Jammu 1mm, Banihal 9.0mm, Batote 9.2cm, Katra 1.2mm, and Bhaderwah 3.6mm while Gulmarg received 35 cms (1.14-ft) of snowfall, Kupwara 5cms and Pahalgam 2cms.
Meanwhile amid cloud cover, the minimum temperature saw further increase except at a few places with Srinagar recording a low of 1.8°C, the same as on the previous night. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was above normal by 2.2°C for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of minus 1.6°C against 0.4°C on the previous night and it was 3.1°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 0.2°C against minus 5.4°C on the previous night and it was 6.0°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 1.1°C against 0.0°C on the previous night and it was 3.1°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 3.6°C against minus 6.4°C on the previous night and it was 3.1°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury recorded a drop and settled at minus 0.3°C against 2.9°C on the previous night and it was 1.7°C above normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 11.9°C against 8.3°C °C on the previous night. It was 2.4°C above normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 4.2°C (above normal by 3.2°C), Batote 3.1°C (above normal by 0.9°C), Katra 10.5°C (3.1°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 3.8°C (4.1°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 9.5°C and minus 14.0°C respectively, the official said. While Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21 has ended, Kashmir is under the grip of a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’. It will be followed by a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1. (GNS)
Srinagar, Jan 26: Amid forecast for isolated to scattered light rain and snow in the next 24 hours, most parts of Jammu and Kashmir recorded a drop in minimum temperature on Thursday.
A meteorological department official here told GNS that Srinagar recorded a low of 1.2°C against last night’s 0.0°C. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was above normal by 2.2°C for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of minus 0.4°C against minus 0.2°C on the previous night and it was 3.7°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 2.4°C against minus 2.6°C on the previous night and it was 3.7°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.6°C against minus 0.7°C on the previous night and it was 2.0°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 10.4°C against minus 4.6°C on the previous night and it was 2.9°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 minus 1.7°C against minus 0.6°C on the previous night and it was above 0.8°C above normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 6.3°C against 10.1°C on the previous night. It was 2.4°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said. Banihal recorded a low of 1.2°C (above normal by 1.4°C), Batote minus 0.5°C (below normal by 2.2°C), Katra 5.6°C (1.3°C below normal) and Bhadarwah 0.6°C (1.4°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 9.0°C and minus 8.1°C respectively, the official said.
While isolated to scattered light rain and snow are forecast, the MeT said that mainly dry weather (80%) was expected on January 27-28 and light to moderate snow and rain likely from January 29th night -30 ( 60%).
He said in the last 24 hours till 0830 hours, Qazigund received 20.0cm of snow, Pahalgam 40.7cm, Kokernag 35.0cm and Gulmarg 33.5cm. In the last few days, Gulmarg has received over 3ft of snowfall, he said.
Kashmir is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21. It does not mean an end to the winter either. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1.(GNS)
Srinagar, Jan 25 (GNS): Most parts of Kashmir and Bhaderwah received snowfall with Gulmarg receiving over 8 inches in the last 24 hours, officials said.
While it was snowing or raining in Jammu and Kashmir, the minimum temperature recorded an increase but stayed below the freezing point at most places of Valley, they said.
A meteorological department official here told GNS that in the 24 hours till 0830 hours, Srinagar received 1 cm of snow, Qazigund 11cm, Pahalgam 16.2cm, Kupwara zero, Kokernag 14.5cm, Gulmarg 21cm and Bhaderwah 7cm, while Kupwara had 12.7mm of rain, Jammu 3.3mm, Banihal 25.5cm, Batote 39.8mm, Katra 21.2mm, and Kathua 15.8mm.
He said intermittent light rain/snow was likely to continue at many places and reduce thereafter gradually by late afternoon.
Regarding temperature, the official said Srinagar recorded a low of 0.0°C against last night’s minus 2.3°C. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, is above normal by 2.3°C for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of minus 0.2°C against minus 0.2°C on the previous night and it was 3.7°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 2.6°C against minus 8.8°C on the previous night and it was 4.9°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.7°C against minus 3.5°C on the previous night and it was 2.9°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 4.6°C against minus 9.6°C on the previous night and it was 3.6°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at minus 0.6°C against minus 3.4°C on the previous night and it was normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 10.1°C against 8.5°C on the previous night. It was 3.1°C above normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of minus 0.3°C (above normal by 0.5°C), Batote 1.9°C (above normal by 1.9°C), Katra 8.2°C (2.2°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 0.0°C (1.3°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 11.5°C and minus 9.5°C respectively, the official said.
Kashmir is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21. It does not mean an end to the winter either. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1.(GNS)
