Srinagar freezes at minus degrees, J&K in the grip of severe cold wave
Srinagar: Srinagar experienced the coldest night of the season so far on Friday even as the entire Jammu and Kashmir region is in the grip of freezing cold, the Met department said on Saturday.
There is no respite from the chilly condition and the Metrological Department has predicted a further drop in the temperatures in the coming days. “Cold wave set in at many places in both the hilly areas and plains of J&K including Jammu region. Expect further fall in temperature during next few days in whole J&K,” Srinagar MeT officials said.
The drop in night temperatures varied from place to place overnight. While Srinagar city experienced a bitterly cold night and registered a minimum temperature of minus 6 degrees Celsius, the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the coldest place in Kashmir with mercury dropping to a low of minus 8.5 degrees Celsius.
Another tourist destination, Pahalgam in south Kashmir, recorded temperatures of -8.3 °C. The minimum temperature recorded in south Kashmir’s hilly Shopian was at minus 8.2°C.
The minimum temperature in southern gateway town of Qazigund in south Kashmir was recorded at -6 .0 °C, while the frontier Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of -6.1°C. Not only Kashmir region, Jammu is also witnessing very cold nights. Jammu recorded 2.3 degrees Celsius night temperature – the lowest December temperature in 23 years, an independent weather forecaster Faizan Arif said.
While, the record for the lowest temperature is 0.9 degrees Celsius recorded on December 28, 1998, sub-zero temperatures were witnessed in Samba and Udhampur. Samba recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius while it was minus 1.2 degrees Celsius in Udhampur
In the Ladakh region, which is known for its adverse winters, the temperatures have dropped to extreme levels overnight. Leh town of Ladakh recorded a low of -15.3°C overnight, the MeT officials said.
The minimum temperature in Drass, which is the second coldest inhabited place, recorded temperatures at -20.3°C, the official said. The MeT department has predicted widespread moderate to heavy snowfall at some places most likely during December 23-25.
