JOIN USAt minus 5.5 degree Celsius, Srinagar records season's coldest night
The minimum temperature plummeted further in Kashmir with Srinagar recording the coldest night of the season at minus 5.5 degree Celsius on Thursday, the second day of 'Chillai-Kalan', the 40-day severe period of winter.
A MeT Department official said the mercury dipped to minus 5.5 degrees Celsius in Srinagar on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday from minus 4.2 degrees on the previous night. The lowest minimum temperatures in the last 10 years in December were minus 6.5 degrees Celsius on 21 December 2016, and minus 7.7 degrees on 25 December 2018.
The lowest ever recorded temperature in December in Srinagar was minus 12.6 degrees on December 13, 1964.
Portions of the Dal Lake in Srinagar city and other water bodies had frozen on Thursday. Dal Lake was completely frozen in 1965 when a jeep crossed the frozen surface from one end to another end. It was again frozen in 1986 when people played ice hockey and cricket besides taking photographs on the frozen surface.
The minimum temperature in Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir, which serves as one of the two base camps during the annual Amarnath yatra, settled at minus 6.2 degrees Celsius, the same as the previous night, the official said. In the ski resort of north Kashmir's Gulmarg, the minimum night temperature settled at minus 5.2 degrees Celsius, against the previous night's minus 4.6 degrees.
In the Leh town of the frontier Ladakh region, the mercury settled at minus 12 degrees Celsius against the previous night's minus 11.8 degrees. Neighbouring Kargil town was the coldest place in the region with a low of minus 12.8 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature dips below freezing point during 'Chillai Kalan' from December 21 to January 30 which is considered the harshest period of winter in Kashmir. The gap between the day and night temperatures also narrows and, sometimes, the maximum temperature also remains below the freezing point.