Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 18

Srinagar recorded its hottest day of the year on Saturday, with temperatures climbing above those in Jammu for the first time this season, as India’s weather office warned that an approaching wet spell could trigger flash floods, landslides and transport disruptions across Jammu and Kashmir over the coming days.

The summer capital registered a maximum temperature of 35.9 degrees Celsius, 5.8 degrees above the seasonal average and higher than Jammu’s 35 degrees Celsius, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The reading surpassed Srinagar’s previous seasonal high of 35.3 degrees Celsius recorded on June 29.

The latest spike followed a steady rise in temperatures after rainfall between July 11 and 13 briefly brought relief from the heat. Daytime temperatures have climbed consistently over the past five days, reflecting a return of hot and humid conditions across much of the Kashmir Valley.

Elsewhere in Kashmir, Kupwara recorded 35.6 degrees Celsius, while temperatures reached 34.5 degrees in Baramulla and 34.4 degrees in Shopian. Cooler conditions prevailed in the higher-altitude tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, where maximum temperatures remained below 30 degrees Celsius.

The IMD said weather conditions were expected to change from Saturday night as moisture from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, coupled with a northward shift of the monsoon trough, brings widespread rain and thunderstorms to the region through July 23. Heavy rainfall is forecast in parts of Kashmir between July 21 and 23, while sections of Jammu division could experience heavy to extremely heavy showers, particularly in Reasi and Udhampur districts.

The weather office warned that intense rainfall could trigger flash floods, cloudburst-like events, landslides and mudslides, with mountain roads and the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway vulnerable to disruption. It advised residents in higher reaches to avoid landslide-prone areas and urged tourists, trekkers and commuters to monitor weather advisories before travelling. Farmers were also advised to suspend fertiliser application and chemical spraying during the wet spell.

Director of the Meteorological Department, Mukhtar Ahmad, said the prolonged spell of heat was likely to ease as the fresh weather system moves into the region.

“Temperatures are expected to dip gradually from July 19 due to western disturbances coupled with the approaching monsoon,” Ahmad said, adding that rainfall activity was expected to intensify between July 20 and 23, with the heaviest precipitation likely on July 21 and 22.