Jammu & Kashmir

No relief from intense cold in Kashmir, Srinagar shivers at minus 6.0°C

A group of students warm themselves around a fire on a cold and foggy morning in Srinagar. [FPK photo Qayoom Khan]

Srinagar: Shivering cold conditions continued unabated in Kashmir and Ladakh as Srinagar recorded minus 6.0°C for the second consecutive night on Sunday, officials said.

It remained the lowest temperature of the season so far and was minus 4.5°C below normal for this time of the year, a meteorological department official said.

The mercury has fallen considerably before the onset of the Chillai-e-Kalan, the 40-day long chilliest part of the season, starting on December 21.

In the last ten years, it has been few occasions when the mercury fell to minus 6.0°C or above in Srinagar.

On 19 December 2020, the mercury had plummeted to minus 6.6°C while as lowest in the month of December was recorded on the 30th day in 2019 at 6.6°C.

In the last ten years, the lowest was recorded on 25 December 2017 when the mercury plunged to minus 7.7°C.

The lowest ever temperature in December was recorded on the 13th of 1934 when the mercury fell to minus 12.8°C.

Meanwhile, the mercury in the world-famous resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district settled at minus 7.5 °C, up by 1.0°C the previous night, the official said.

Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, had a low of minus 6.5°C against minus 6.0°C on the previous night, he said.

Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 8.7°C against minus 8.3°C on the previous night.

Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 6.0°C against minus 5.1°C on the previous night, the official said.

Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a minimum of minus 6.1°C against minus 6.1°C on the previous night, the official said.

Jammu, the JK’s winter capital, saw a low of 2.8°C which is minus 6.1°C below normal, he said.

Ladakh’s Leh had a low of minus 16.0°C against last night’s minus 15.3°C. Drass in Kargil, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 20.7°C, the official said.

“Mostly dry and cold weather is likely to continue till December 22 forenoon in both JK and Ladakh,” the official said, adding, “There’s a modification in the early forecast of snowfall.

Now, there’s no forecast of any major snowfall in both JK and Ladakh.”

However, he said, light to moderate snowfall is expected at many places of JK and at scattered places of Ladakh especially along Sonmarg-Drass, Parkachik-Padum axis during evening of December 22 to 25.

He said that due to the mainly clear sky, night temperature is most likely to fall further during the next three days.

“Thereafter, due to the approaching Western Disturbance, we expect gradual fall in day temperature and a slight rise in night temperature from December 21 to 26.”

 

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