Kashmir chill intensifies

As the cold wave tightened its grip in Kashmir and Ladakh region with the mercury dropping below freezing point on Sunday, the MeT department has forecast a further dip in temperatures in the coming days.

A spokesman of the local MeT office said Srinagar recorded the coldest night of the season on Saturday night with mercury plummeting to minus 0.9 degree Celsius against minus 0.5 degree the previous night.

The minimum temperature in Leh town of frontier Ladakh region settled at minus 8.5 degree Celsius as compared to the previous night’s minus 7.1 degree Celsius, he said. The neighbouring Kargil town registered a low of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius.

Ski resort of Gulmarg in North Kashmir’s Baramulla recorded minus 4.6 degree Celsius against minus 3.8 degree the previous night while tourist resort Pahalgam, which serves as a base camp during the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir, recorded minus 3.7 degree Celsius against Friday night’s minus 3.5 degrees, he said.

The spokesman said weather would remain mainly dry in the coming days due to which there will be a further dip in the mercury.In the Jammu region, he said, the minimum temperatures were generally above the freezing point.