Cold wave tightens grip on Kashmir; Drass records -30 degree celcius

The minimum temperature at most places in Kashmir dropped several notches on Friday as the cold wave tightened its grip on the valley, where light rain or snow is likely in the next few days, according to the Meteorological Department.

The night temperature witnessed a drop of several degrees Celsius at most places in the valley owing to clear sky, a MeT official said. He said the minimum temperature in Srinagar dropped nearly six degrees from minus 0.5 degree Celsius a day before to settle at minus 6.1 degrees Celsius.

The official said the mercury in Qazigund – the gateway town to the valley in south Kashmir – settled at a low of minus 8.2 degrees Celsius, a decrease of nearly eight notches from the previous night's minus 0.4 degree Celsius. The night temperature in Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 13.4 degrees Celsius as against minus 12.2 degrees Celsius a day before. Pahalgam was the coldest recorded place in the Kashmir Valley, the official added.

The ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir registered a minimum of minus 11 degrees Celsius, compared to minus 11.2 degrees Celsius the previous night, he said. The night temperature in Kokernag, in south, dropped over four degrees to settle at a low of minus 6.4 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara in north recorded a low of minus 9.6 degrees Celsius – a decrease of four notches from the previous day, the official said.

Leh in Ladakh Union Territory recorded the low of minus 20.1 degrees Celsius, while the nearby Drass registered a minimum of minus 30.0 degrees Celsius, the official added. The MeT Office has forecast scattered light rain or snowfall in the valley for the next few days from Saturday. 

(Image from AP)