The incoming fresh western disturbance started impacting Jammu & Kashmir from Friday evening accompanied initially by moderate rain/snow but widespread over the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh regions.

There is possibility of heavy snowfall at isolated places with its maximum intensity and spread materialising on Saturday, gradually decreasing thereafter, according to the Srinagar Met Office.

This would be the first major wet spell of the New Year for Jammu & Kashmir. It may lead to disruption in surface (especially the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway) and air transportation.

The higher reaches of Kashmir, Ladakh and the hilly areas of Jammu may receive moderate snowfall on Friday and Saturday. There will be a significant fall in day temperatures and a slight increase in night temperatures.

Satellite pictures showed a massive bank of clouding enveloping Jammu & Kashmir even as its boundaries extended into the West, North and East towards Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Meanwhile, the India Met Department (IMD) has located cyclonic storm ‘Pabuk’ over the South China Sea, about 990 km east-southeast of Port Blair, across the international waters.

Andaman cyclone watch

‘Pabuk’ is expected move west-northwestwards and emerge into the Andaman Sea by Saturday morning, and later move north-west to cross the Andaman Islands by Sunday night.

Thereafter, it is forecast to move north-northwestwards but may recurve later to the north-eastwards (away from the Indian coast) eyeing Myanmar, and weaken on Monday-Tuesday.

The Met departments of Thailand and Myanmar, which are closely watching the movement of the cyclone, seemed to agree with the track and progression of the storm.

It is currently located over the South China Sea, under the jurisdiction of the Thai Met Department, according to Phuwieng Prakhammintara, Director-General. It would make a first landfall between Pak Phanang and Tha Sala districts, before entering Indian territorial waters to make a second one over the Andaman Islands, and from there to the Myanmar coast for a third.

The IMD has said that rains will commence at many places over the Andaman Islands from Saturday evening with heavy falls at isolated places.