Srinagar, July 18:
Srinagar recorded the hottest July day in eight years on Sunday as the maximum temperature in the city touched 35 degrees Celsius, with the MET Office forecasting moderate to heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir over three days from Monday.
Srinagar city recorded the maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius, over five degrees above the normal for this time of the season, a MET official said.
He said Sunday was the hottest day of the season so far in the city and the hottest in the month of July in eight years.
Previously, the city had recorded the maximum of 35.4 degrees Celsius on July 29, 2013, the official said.
He said the all time high maximum temperature in the city in this month was 39.5 degrees Celsius, recorded on July 15, 1973.
Kupwara district, in north Kashmir, was hotter than Srinagar as the mercury there settled at 35.3 degrees Celsius, which was also the highest day temperature in eight years, the official said.
The district had recorded maximum temperature of 35.8 degrees Celsius on July 29, 2013, he said.
Meanwhile, the MET Office has forecast moderate to heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir over three days from Monday.
A weather warning issued by the MET Office said lower and middle level tropospheric winds from north Arabian Sea is most likely to interact with Easterly Winds (from Bay of Bengal) from 18 to 21 July.
The system is most likely to cause widespread heavy to very heavy rain, thunder with lightning at most places of Jammu, mainly in Pirpanjal Range and plains of Jammu division from 19 to 21 July and moderate to heavy rain, thunder with lightning in many places of Kashmir division, it said.
The MET Office warned of moderate to high risk of flash flood in J&K, and the temporary disruption of surface traffic mainly on Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar-Leh highways.
