Srinagar, Jan 12: Kashmir witnessed a slight respite from the harsh cold wave as minimum temperatures across the valley rose by a few degrees, though they continued to remain below the freezing point, officials said on Monday.
Despite the marginal improvement, clear skies and sustained sub-zero conditions led to the freezing of parts of Dal Lake and other water bodies in the valley.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday night, a significant rise from the previous night’s minus 5.2 degrees Celsius. The city had experienced its coldest night of the season on Thursday, when the mercury plunged to minus 6 degrees Celsius.
South Kashmir’s Pulwama town emerged as the coldest location in the valley, recording a minimum temperature of minus 6.5 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination and one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius.
In north Kashmir, the ski resort of Gulmarg in Baramulla district also recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, up from minus 6.2 degrees Celsius the previous night. Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district recorded a comparatively warmer minimum of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, registered a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag recorded minus 1.8 degrees Celsius and Kupwara minus 3.7 degrees Celsius.
Kashmir is currently experiencing ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, the 40-day harshest phase of winter, during which temperatures often drop several degrees below freezing and the likelihood of snowfall remains high. The period began on December 21 and will conclude on January 30.
Notably, the plains of the valley have yet to receive any snowfall this season.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast dry but cloudy weather conditions across Kashmir till January 21.