As the cold wave further tightened its grip over Kashmir on Wednesday, Srinagar recorded bone-chilling minus 7.8 degree Celsius, which was the lowest in the past nine years.
A Met department official said that the last time Srinagar witnessed lower temperature than minus 7.8 degree Celsius was on 14 January 2012. The minimum temperature in Gulmarg, a famous ski resort in north Kashmir, settled at minus 10 degree Celsius while night temperature in Pahalgam, another famous tourist destination in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 11.7 degrees.
The Met has forecast dry weather till January 20 with the likelihood of a further fall in night temperatures due to a partially clear sky. Due to the freezing cold, portions of the Dal Lake in Srinagar city and other water bodies remain frozen in the midst of ‘Chilla Kalan’, peak of the harshest 40-day period of winter, which starts on December 21 and ends on January 30.
Dal Lake was completely frozen in 1965 when a jeep crossed the frozen surface from one end to the other. It was again frozen in 1986 when people played ice hockey and cricket besides taking photographs on the frozen surface.
People in several areas of the Valley, particularly in Srinagar, have been complaining of water shortage as the taps have frozen. There have been frequent heavy snowfall spells this year causing disruptions in electricity and water supplies besides blocking Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only road link between Kashmir and the rest of the country.
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