India, March 12 -- The Kashmir Valley is witnessing one of its most unusual early springs in decades, with the river Jhelum, its lifeline, dropping below the zero-gauge level while temperatures surge to record highs.

Official flood control data revealed that the water level of the Jhelum at Sangam in south Kashmir fell to minus 0.86 feet on March 5, indicating that the river was flowing below the zero-gauge mark, a rare sight for early March when snowmelt typically begins to raise water levels.

At the same time, temperatures across Kashmir have risen sharply. For example, Srinagar last week recorded a maximum of 24.7 degrees Celsius (degC), which is 11.7 degrees above normal, while the ski resort of Gulmarg touched 17.2 degC, about 13.7...