Stopping by Jammu on a Snowy Evening
2005 01 28
By S. Chander Sharma - Express India News
 For the first time in the history of Jammu as prior till Thursday, the city experienced a snowfall on Thursday evening. Jammu city, which normally experiences maximum temperature of over 47 degrees celsius in summers, witnessed snowfall this evening, for the first time.
Relate it with Tsunami after-effect, solar flares witnessed for the third time this month during this decade, which otherwise is a 11-year phenomenon, global warming or phenomenal climatic changes. But something unusual has happened in recent months when Dubai also witnessed snowfall for the first time this winter after Tsunami and parts of USA came under the snow-storm affecting normal life in a big way.
However, this evening became first for the people of Jammu city when they witnessed snowfall though for a brief time of about five minutes. The elders got stunned as it had never happened earlier but the children and the youngsters enjoyed the few mm of snowfall at about 8 pm today. However, only half of the city witnessed snowfall which include Rehari, Janipur, Ambphalla, Bakshi Nagar localities on semi-hilly terrain and some adjoining localities in the walled city while in some localities also of the walled city, only hailstorm was experienced.
Earlier, Trikuta hills, 48 km from Jammu, where the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is located, is the nearest place which witnesses snowfall almost every year.
It was really unbelievable, said Sukh Dev Singh Amwal, 84, of Janipur. For few second I could not believe that it was snowing. But when I watched the sky it was really snow and my clothes got covered by a thin layer of snow while leaves of the trees were also covered by snow layer.
During the snowfall, temperatures fell to freezing point causing snowfall. Otherwise, ever minimum temperature recorded in Jammu city was 0.3 Degrees Celsius recorded on intervening night of January 5-6 in year 2000. Prior to this, lowest temperature of Jammu was recorded as 0.9 degrees C in 1942.
However, today all records were broken when it snowed in the city. Aakanksha, a thrilled teenager of the city said while talking to The Indian Express that she had just come out of her room when something like broken yarns of cotton were coming down in chilly evening. When my clothes were covered I realised it was snow and soon I cried out of excitement and my other family members also come out to enjoy the snowfall. This was really great and beyond belief. But after about five minutes the snowfall was replaced by rainfall. Wind screens of the vehicles were also covered by snow, Aakanksha added.
However, the remaining parts of the city mostly located in plains witnessed only hailstorm and rains. MeT officials also confirmed that some parts of Jammu city witnessed snowfall but they could not elaborate the reasons.
Prior to the snowfall, the weather became chilly all of a sudden at around 5 pm with cloudy sky while it was sunny during the day. And three hours later, it snowed all of a sudden.
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Article From: http://www.earthchangestv.com/secure/2005/article_6665.php
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