Cold wave grips Kashmir

With minimum temperatures dropping to sub zero, an intense cold wave gripped Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley on Thursday.

Bone-chilling winds lashed the region as night temperatures fell below the freezing point while the day temperatures showed comforting increase.

According to the local Met office, the minimum temperature was -0.6°C in Srinagar making it the coldest day of the season so far.

Leh town was the coldest place in the state with the mercury falling 11.2 degrees below the freezing point while the famed tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir witnessed a minimum of -3.8 °C followed by the world famous ski resort of Gulmarg with -2°C.

Meanwhile, dry spell continued in Kashmir resulting in significant decrease in the water level in Rivers Jhelum and Dal, and several lakes including Wullar and Manasbal.

The Kashmir valley has received scant rainfall for the past month and absence of western disturbances (WD) and clear sky has resulted in the drop in night temperatures, Met officials said.

The region has not witnessed any WD, mainly responsible for causing rain and snowfall in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir, from the Arabian Sea for the past few weeks.

Director local Met Office Sonam Lotus said the temperatures during November have been generally around the same extremes this year as during the last decade.