Kashmir continues to shiver

Kashmir continues to shiver due to biting cold with the minimum temperature across the Valley dropping below the freezing point, resulting in freezing of water in supply lines in several areas of the state.

A MeT department official said Srinagar recorded a low of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius against the previous night's 4.6 degrees.

Mercury in Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp during the annual Amarnath yatra, plummeted to a minimum of minus 8.4 degrees Celsius, against the previous night’s minus 7.7 degrees, while the minimum temperature in Gulmarg, the ski resort of north Kashmir, settled at minus 4.0 degrees Celsius against the previous night’s minus 7.6 degrees, he said.

Kargil town in the cold desert of Ladakh region recorded a bone-chilling minus 14.9 degrees Celsius, while in nearby Leh town, the minimum temperature was minus 6.0 degrees.

The MeT department has forecast that the weather would continue to be dry and cold, especially in the plains, for the next few days. The free fall of mercury in the Valley and Ladakh region was worrisome for people as the traditional 40-day period of extreme cold that is known as the 'Chillai Kalan' is still two days away.