Srinagar: The unabated cold wave has further tightened its noose over the Kashmir Valley, with Srinagar recording its coldest night of the season at minus 4.1°C on Friday, officials said.
The Meteorological Department office said that the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir experienced the season’s previous low of minus 2.1°C a day ago and plunged to minus 4.1°C today. This temperature is 2.9°C below normal during this period of the season.
The cold was even more biting in popular tourist destinations of Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Konibal as the mercury sharply dipped and recorded lows of minus 6.5°C, minus 4.3°C, and minus 6.0°C, respectively.
The tourist spot of Pahalgam was not only colder than the previous night’s minus 5.3°C but also 3.2°C below the seasonal average for the popular hill station of South Kashmir during this period.
The famous ski resort of Gulmarg recorded at minus 4.3°C against the minus 3.6°C recorded the previous night. This was 1.2°C below normal for the valley of meadows in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district during this period.
Qazigund, the gateway to Kashmir on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, also witnessed a fall in night temperature and recorded at minus 4.4°C on Friday against the minus 2.7°C recorded the previous night, and this was 3.2°C below normal.
The minimum temperature at Kupwara further dipped to minus 3.4°C against the minus 2.5°C recorded the previous night. It was 1.7°C below normal for the frontier Kashmir district during this period of the season.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 2.4°C against the minus 1.4°C the previous night, and this was 1.8°C below normal for the south Kashmir picnic spot.
The Met Office said the weather is likely to remain dry till December 7.
“A weak Western Disturbance (WD) may affect Jammu and Kashmir between December 8 and December 9 and can cause light rain and snowfall over the higher reaches of the Kashmir Valley,” it added.
Few places of the Jammu division may also experience thunder with gusty winds during the evening and night of December 8.
The MeT office said on December 15 and 16 there are chances of rain and light snow over the isolated places of Jammu and Kashmir.
UNI
