Kashmir shivers as temperature settles below freezing point

The night temperature in Kashmir plummeted on Wednesday, with the minimum temperature at most places settling below freezing point, according to MeT officials. A further drop in temperatures is expected in the coming days, owing to the forecast of dry weather, they added.

Barring Kokernag, all other weather stations across the Valley recorded sub-zero night temperatures, the officials said. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 2 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night’s minus 1.8 degrees Celsius, they noted.

Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley in South Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 2.2 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in Pahalgam, a popular tourist resort and one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, settled at minus 4.8 degrees Celsius, three degrees lower than the previous night.

The famous ski resort of Gulmarg registered a low of minus 3.5 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara recorded minus 1.2 degrees Celsius and Kokernag, at 0.4 degrees Celsius, was the only station to stay above freezing.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) department said that the weather would remain generally dry from December 4-7, with a further drop in night temperatures, although daytime temperatures are expected to be warmer.

There is a possibility of light rain or light snow at isolated places in the higher reaches late on the night of December 8 through to the morning of December 9, the MeT Office said. From December 10-14, the weather is expected to remain dry, with no significant wet spells predicted until December 14.