Severe cold conditions continued unabated in Kashmir Valley with Srinagar, Qazigund and Kupwara experiencing season’s coldest night on Thursday.
Quoting a meteorological department official, GNS reported that Srinagar recorded a low of minus 6.4°C against last night’s minus 5.2°C. Today’s minimum temperature was 4.3°C below normal and surpassed the previous lowest temperature that was recorded on December 25 when mercury plummeted to minus 5.8°C in the summer capital, he said.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 6.2°C against minus 5.2°C on the previous night. The temperature was 3.3°C below normal and lowest so far this season in the gateway town of Kashmir, he said.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 9.2°C against minus 9.4°C on the previous night. The coldest night recorded this season in the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district was on January 2 when mercury plunged to minus 9.6°C, he said. Today’s minimum temperature was 2.6°C below normal for the place, he said.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 4.4°C against minus 3.8°C on the previous night, he said. It was 0.9°C below normal for the place, he said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 7.5°C against minus 8.4°C on the previous night, the official said. It was 0.5°C below normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district which recorded its coldest night on January 2 when minimum temperature plummeted to minus 10.0°C, the official said.
In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at minus 6.0°C against minus 4.1°C on the previous night in the north Kashmir area, he said. The official said that the temperature was 3.5°C below normal.
Jammu recorded a low of 3.0°C against 4.5°C on the previous night. It was 4.3°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of 5.2°C (above normal by 5.0°C), Batote 3.0°C (above normal by 1.0°C), Katra 4.6°C (1.7°C below normal) and Bhadarwah minus 0.4°C (0.1°C below normal).
In Ladakh, Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 15.2°C and minus 19.2°C respectively, the official said.
Regarding the forecast, the MeT official said mainly clear weather was expected till January 6. “Expect further fall in minimum temperature across J&K,” he said, adding, “On January 7, weather is expected to be cloudy and from January 8-10, weather is expected to be cloudy with possibility of snowfall and rain (in plains of Jammu) at many places of J&K (70% chance).” Moderate rain and snowfall has been predicted during January 11-13 also.
