Kashmir Shivers as Temperatures Plunge, Shopian Coldest at –6.6°C

Srinagar, Nov 30: An intense cold wave tightened its grip across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh as most locations recorded a sharp dip in minimum temperatures last night, with many areas settling well below the freezing point.

In the Kashmir Valley, Srinagar shivered at –4.4°C, marking another frigid morning. Pahalgam dipped to –5.6°C, Kupwara to –5.0°C, while Pampore and Anantnag each recorded –6.0°C. Shopian was the coldest in the region at –6.6°C, closely followed by Baramulla at –6.4°C. Gulmarg, the popular skiing destination, logged a low of –1.4°C.

Qazigund and Awantipora settled at –3.0°C and –4.4°C respectively, while Zojila Pass froze at a bone-chilling –15.0°C. Zethan Rafiabad also recorded a severe low of –5.5°C.

In the Jammu region, winter conditions intensified with Jammu city recording 8.8°C. Higher-altitude areas remained significantly colder: Banihal registered –0.7°C, Bhaderwah 0.3°C, and Samba 1.9°C. Rajouri and Udhampur recorded lows of 1.5°C and 3.0°C respectively. Other towns, including Batote (4.5°C), Ramban (4.2°C), Kishtwar (4.0°C), Reasi (6.4°C), Doda (4.5°C) and Kathua (7.4°C), experienced moderate chill. Jammu Airport reported a minimum of 8.3°C.

Ladakh remained the coldest across the region, with Nyoma plunging to an extreme –16.3°C. Several high-altitude areas—Drass (–12.4°C), Padum (–12.6°C), Tangste (–12.7°C), Upshi (–12.8°C) and Chuchot (–10.9°C)—recorded severe freezing conditions. Leh settled at –9.2°C, while Kargil reported –8.5°C. Nubra Valley (–8.6°C), Stakna (–9.8°C), Khaltse (–8.1°C) and Garkone (–2.7°C) also remained under intense cold.