Parts of Dal Lake freeze as Kashmir reels under severe cold

Srinagar: Parts of the famous Dal Lake here and several water bodies in Kashmir froze on Wednesday as sub-zero minimum temperatures across the Valley dropped further.

The Kashmir Valley is in the midst of 'Chilla-i-Kalan' - a 40-day period of extreme cold, when the chances of snowfall are the highest. It began on December 21 and will end on January 30.

Srinagar recorded a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night, down from the minus 4.9 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night, weather department officials said. Shopian in south Kashmir was the coldest place in the Valley, where the mercury settled at minus 7.5 degrees Celsius.

Parts of several water bodies, including the interiors of the Dal Lake, froze due to severe cold. Pahalgam, a popular tourist spot in south Kashmir, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 6 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature in Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district settled at a low of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, and in central Kashmir's Sonamarg it was minus 2.2 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature in Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, settled at minus 5.3 degrees Celsius. Kokernag recorded a low of minus 2.3 degrees Celsius, and Kupwara minus 6.2 degrees Celsius.

The India Meteorological Department has said a western disturbance is approaching Kashmir and is likely to affect the Valley's weather from January 16.