Cold wave in J&K, night temp stays below freezing point in valley, Ladakh

Srinagar: Cold wave conditions continued in Jammu and Kashmir as the weather remained dry and the night temperature in Ladakh region and most parts of the Valley stayed below freezing point.

The minimum temperatures are expected to fall further as the MeT Department has said the weather would remain dry for a few more days. Leh recorded a night temperature of minus 9.7 degrees Celsius against the previous night`s minus 9.9 degrees Celsius, a MeT Department official said here. He said the nearby Kargil town, where the minimum temperature settled at minus 5.4 degrees Celsius yesterday, recorded a low of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius today. The minimum in summer capital Srinagar remained same as the previous night`s low of minus 1.8 degrees Celsius, the official said, adding it was one degree below the normal for this part of the season. The night temperature in Pahalgam, a tourist resort which serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, over a degree less than the previous night`s minus 2.4 degrees Celsius. The official said the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 0.5 degree Celsius, as against the last night’s minus 0.8 degree Celsius. He said the minimum temperature in Kupwara, in north Kashmir, dipped to a low of minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, while Qazigund - the gateway town to Kashmir - recorded a low of minus 2.2 degrees Celsius. The official said the south Kashmir town of Kokernag was the only recorded place in the Valley where the night temperature stayed above the freezing point for the fourth consecutive day at 0.7 degrees Celsius. Kashmir valley and Ladakh region are in the grip of intense cold since the beginning of this month following early snowfall in the high altitude areas.