Srinagar shivers at bone-chilling minus 4.6 °C

Srinagar: The minimum temperatures in Srinagar plummeted to a bone-chilling minus 4.6 °C on Saturday, sending a shiver through the picturesque landscape.

A meteorological department official said the mercury went down in Srinagar from the previous night’s minus 2.4°C to minus 4.6°C. Overall it was the lowest temperature recorded in Srinagar this season.

In other places of the valley too, the mercury was recorded at very low levels. In south Kashmir’s Pahalgam hill resort, which serves as a base camp during the annual Amarnat yatra, a minimum of minus 5.0°C was recorded while north Kashmir’s ski-resort Gulmarg witnessed a low of minus 4.2°C degrees, he said.

Water bodies, including Dal Lake in Srinagar, have partially frozen due to the cold wave. The drinking water taps and supply pipes have also frozen in many places, leading to water shortages.

As the mercury dropped, the locals, accustomed to harsh winters, bundled up in layers of warm clothing. Despite modern heating gadgets promising convenience, people still find solace in the familiar crackle of burning embers and the soothing heat emanating from the traditional ‘kangri’ (firepot).

Leh, in the frontier region of Ladakh, recorded a bone-chilling low of minus 11.0 °C while neighbouring Kargil recorded minus 8.8°C.

The MeT department has said that “mainly dry weather is expected till December 15 in Kashmir.” The ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ - the 40-day harshest winter period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies as well as the water supply lines - is still 12 days away.