Kashmir, Himachal back to postcard beauty; Tourism bookings surge following surprise snowfall

NEW DELHI: The valley in Kashmir and the high altitudes of Himachal received the first snowfall of this year on Thursday. Weather experts opined that it was an unseasonal phenomenon. This also signals the arrival of wintry conditions as the southwest monsoon is set to depart from the country.

Images of snow covering the Gulmarg ski resort in Kashmir on Thursday have already gone viral on social media. Tulail Valley and Kabuli Gali in Bandipora also witnessed a winter landscape in the middle of September. IMD has predicted widespread rains in Srinagar and other areas of Kashmir in the coming days.

The unseasonal changes were not restricted to Kashmir, as certain areas in Himachal Pradesh witnessed snowfall and rains. The temperature dropped to chilling lows. It is understood that tourist bookings to Himachal and Kashmir Valley increased twofold since the snowfall images went viral on social media.

However, weather experts are studying the changing weather conditions and the unseasonal snowfall in mid-September.