Srinagar: Cold wave tightened its grip over
Kashmir as several places, including Srinagar, experienced the
coldest night this season, with the minimum temperature
settling below the freezing point across the Valley for the
first time this winter.
The night temperature across Kashmir division, including
Ladakh region, settled below the freezing point, an official
of the Meteorological Department here said.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.7
degrees Celsius down two degrees from the previous night's 0.3
degree Celsius.
This is the season's lowest night temperature recorded in
the city so far, the official said.
Leh in Ladakh region was the coldest recorded places in
the state as it registered a low of minus 10.2 degrees Celsius
last night - a decrease of over three degrees from minus 6.7
degrees Celsius the previous night.
The official said Leh also experienced the coldest night
of the season so far.
The mercury in nearby Kargil settled at minus 6.6 degrees
Celsius, a slight decrease from the previous night's minus 6.2
degrees Celsius, he said, adding it was the lowest night
temperature of the season so far in the town.
The official said Qazigund, Kokernag, Pahalgam and
Kupwara also experienced the coldest night of the season.
While the mercury settled at minus 0.8 degree Celsius in
Qazigund town in south Kashmir, which was over three degrees
down from the previous night's 2.4 degrees Celsius, the
minimum in nearby Kokernag was minus 0.1 degree Celsius, the
official said.
He said Pahalgam, which serves as one of the base camps
for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a minimum of minus 2.7
degrees Celsius, while Kupwara, in north Kashmir, registered a
low of minus 2.9 degrees Celsius.
The official said Gulmarg, the famous ski-resort in north
Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 5.6 degrees Celsius, compared
to minus 6.2 degrees Celsius the previous night.
The resort was the only place in Kashmir division which
witnessed an increase in the night temperature last night.
The Meteorological Department has forecast mainly dry
weather in the Valley over the next few days.
