Srinagar, Feb 28: The ongoing wet spell across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has significantly reduced the rainfall deficit, bringing it down from nearly 80 percent to 42 percent, according to official data.
The heavy precipitation over the past few days has provided much-needed relief from the prolonged dry conditions.
According to the Meteorological Department, Srinagar data, between February 26 and 28, J&K recorded an average rainfall of 78.4 mm, far exceeding the normal of 15.5 mm for this period-an increase of 407 percent.
Some districts experienced even higher deviations, with Kargil in Ladakh UT recording 32.6 mm against a normal of just 0.2 mm, marking a 16,200 percent surge.
Jammu, Ramban, and Poonch also saw substantial excess rainfall, further improving the overall precipitation tally.
The three-day wet spell brought significant rainfall with Ramban recording 173.3 mm, nearly six times its normal 25 mm. Udhampur saw an extreme 1,891 percent increase, with 151.4 mm against a usual 7.6 mm.
Poonch 90.5 mm and Rajouri 83 mm recorded over 1,000 percent increases in rainfall.
In Kashmir, Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, and Anantnag received three to five times their usual precipitation.
Srinagar received 30.4 mm and Shopian 26.8 mm of rainfall which was above-normal rainfall.
The wet spell also brought significant snowfall to various parts of Kashmir, with Gulmarg receiving the highest snow depth at 113 cm, followed by Sonamarg at 75 cm. The higher reaches of Kupwara, Bandipora, and South Kashmir recorded snow accumulations between 60 and 90 cm.
Despite this improvement, the cumulative rainfall for January and February 2025 remains 42 percent below normal, MeT said.
In Kashmir Anantnag has a deficit of 52 percent below normal, Budgam 65 percent, Kulgam 69 percent, and Srinagar 64 percent, and these districts continue to show significant shortfalls. In Jammu, districts like Rajouri and Samba have recorded near-normal precipitation.–(UNI)
