Gulmarg, Pahalgam reel under cold wave; relief from harsh weather in rest of Valley

Even as heavy snowfall has brought a relief to the harsh weather in Kashmir Valley, the night temperatures recorded a steep fall in three major tourists destinations—Gulmarg in north Kashmir, Pahalgam in South Kashmir and Sonmarg in Central Kashmir.

According to the MeT department, the night temperatures in Gulmarg on Sunday night was recorded at minus 10° Celsius; Sonamarg registered minus 9.9°C and Pahalgam settled at minus 9.2°C.

The summer capital Srinagar saw a night temperature of minus 0.9° Celsius, while Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, recorded a night temperature of minus 2.9° C.

The department said Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.1° Celsius, while Kupwara in north Kashmir saw a low of 0.1° Celsius.

Kashmir Valley is currently under the grip of Chillai Kalan, the harshest winter period, which begins each year on December 21 and ends on January 30. The period is considered very harsh because of the low temperatures.

Ending a long dry spell, Kashmir last week received moderate to heavy snowfall, disrupting air, road and rail connectivity, and throwing life out of gear in Kashmir. The MeT department said on Monday that two Western Disturbances in quick succession are likely to affect J&K from January 1 onwards. It said there is a possibility of heavy snow at isolated higher reaches on January 4 and 5.