J&K reels under cold wave, Leh coldest at minus 10.6 deg C

Srinagar: Though there has been a slight improvement in night temperatures, Jammu and Kashmir continued to be in the grip of cold wave with Leh being the worst hit. Leh town, 434 kms from here, recorded a low of minus 10.6 degrees Celsius, up from yesterday`s minus 12.0 degrees Celsius, a MET Department official said. The town in the frontier region of Ladakh continues to be the coldest recorded place in J-K, he said. Nearby Kargil town was the second coldest place with a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, a slight improvement from the previous night`s minus 7.0 degrees Celsius, the official said. Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, also witnessed a marginal improvement in the night temperature as the mercury rose to minus 1.6 degrees Celsius vis-a-vis yesterday`s minus 2.1 degrees Celsius. Minimum temperature in Srinagar continues to remain below the normal for this time of the season and it remained below the freezing point for the sixth consecutive day. Temperature at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg was minus 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to last night`s minus 1.8 degrees Celsius, he said. Pahalgam, a health resort which serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a fair improvement of minus 3.5 degrees against yesterday`s minus 4.6 degrees Celsius, the official said. Qazigund, gateway to the Valley, and Kupwara in north Kashmir also registered sub-zero temperatures last night, while the minimum in Kokernag remained slightly above the freezing point at 0.7 degree Celsius. The MeT Department has predicted mainly dry weather across Kashmir division over the next 24 hours.