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Kashmir Valley on Wednesday evening received season's first mild snowfall thereby ending nearly two month long dry spell that had resulted in intense cold wave conditions lashing the Valley.
The snowfall started on Wednesday evening in Srinagar city and other towns while reports from Kashmir's higher reaches said it was snowing heavily there.
The weather office in Srinagar has forecast a light snowfall in the plains and a moderate snowfall in the mountains of the Valley.
"A western disturbance persists over the Valley and we are expecting light snowfall in the plains and a moderate snowfall in the mountains during the next 24 hours here," Sonam Lotus, director of the local weather office said.
The Valley temperatures had dipped as low as minus 5.9 degree Celsius on Tuesday and because of a night-long cloud cover the minimum temperature had marginally risen to minus 3.4 degree Celsius on Wednesday.
The dry spell resulted in severe respiratory ailments across the Valley and Wednesday's snowfall is likely to bring relief to the local residents besides improving the water discharge in local rivers.
The Valley is reeling under an acute shortage of electric power with locals protesting long hours of darkness due to electricity failures and scheduled and unscheduled cuts mostly during the evening hours.