Cold wave intensifies across Kashmir

Cold wave tightened its grip across Kashmir on Wednesday as Srinagar recorded season's coldest night with minus 2.2 degrees.

A local MeT department official said on Wednesday that Srinagar recorded the coldest night of the season so far at minus 2.2 degrees Celsius. Earlier on November 4, Srinagar had recorded a low of minus 0.4 degrees.

He said the minimum temperature in the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir settled at a bone chilling minus 6.2 degrees Celsius, while night temperature in south Kashmir tourist resort of Pahalgam, which also serves as one of the base camps during annual Amarnath yatra, settled at minus 5.2 degrees.

Kargil, in the frontier region of Ladakh, continues to be the coldest recorded place in the state with a low of minus 9 degrees Celsius last night, while neighbouring Leh twon recorded a low of minus 8.4 degrees, the official said.

“Cold wave conditions are likely to continue for the next two or three days as the weather is expected to remain dry with cloudless night skies,” he added.

Kashmir valley witnessed an early snowfall this season on Saturday (November 3). The heavy snowfall hit the fruit and horticulture industry, with the Valley’s top trade body pegging the damage at Rs 500 crore. The snowfall also damaged the apple trees badly.