SRINAGAR: Night temperature recorded a drop and settled below freezing point across Kashmir Valley barring Srinagar on Wednesday.
A meteorological department official here told that Srinagar, the summer capital of the J&K, recorded a low of 0.0°C against last night’s 0.8°C. The temperature was below 1.0°C than normal for this time of the year, he said.
Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.8°C against minus 1.0°C on the previous night, he said. Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, had a low of 1.0°C against minus 0.2°C on the previous night, the official said.
Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 4.4°C against minus 4.2°C last night, he said. Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 7.0°C against minus 6.8°C on the previous night, he said.
The temperature was 0.2°C below normal for this time of the year in the famous resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said. Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 1.3°C against minus 0.2°C on the previous night, the official said.
While the ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day long harshest period of winter ended on January 30, Kashmir is under the grip of the 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ which would be followed by 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’.
Jammu recorded a low of 9.2°C against previous night’s 9.1°C, the official said. The temperature was 1.3°C below normal for the J&K’s winter capital during this time of the year, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of minus 0.4°C, Batote 2.1°C and Bhaderwah 0.3°C, the official said.
Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 10.2°C against last night minus 10.4°C while mercury at automatic station in Kargil settled at minus 13.8°C. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 16.5°C against minus 12.0°C on the previous night, officials said.
The weatherman has forecast erratic (generally cloudy and sunshine at times) till February 21 with a possibility of a brief spell of light rain and snow (over higher reaches) at scattered places of J&K on February 16 and on February 18-19. “There’s no forecast of any major rain and snow for the next 10 days,” the official added. (GNS)
