J&K shivers in sub-zero temperatures

Srinagar: Cold wave conditions returned to Jammu and Kashmir as the night temperatures fell several degrees with the minimum in most parts of the Valley settling below the freezing point.

The night temperature in Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, recorded a low of -0.4 degree Celsius, compared to the previous night`s 1.4 degrees Celsius, a MeT Department official said here. Leh, in Ladakh region, continued to be the coldest recorded place in the state, with a minimum of -8.7 degrees Celsius, three notches down from the previous night`s -5.6 degrees Celsius, the official said. He said the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg recorded a low of -0.8 degree Celsius, down from the last night`s 0.4 degrees Celsius. The official said the night temperature in Pahalgam, a tourist resort which serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, decreased by over two notches from the previous night`s 0.1 degree Celsius to settle at a low of -2.4 degrees Celsius. The official said the minimum temperature in Kupwara in north Kashmir, also dipped by two notches to a low of -1.5 degrees Celsius, against the previous night`s low of 0.5 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature in Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir Valley, decreased to settle at a low of -1.3 degrees Celsius from the previous night`s 0.7 degree Celsius, the official said. He said the night temperature in south Kashmir town of Kokernag registered a low of 2.4 degrees Celsius compared to yesterdays 2.1 degrees Celsius. The night temperature in Kargil town went down by over a degree to -3.6 degrees Celsius from the previous night`s -2.0 degrees Celsius. The MeT Department has said there would not be any major change in the weather and it would remain dry for the next 24 hours.