Valley continues to shiver, Srinagar records -7.3°C

Kashmir Valley continues to reel under intense cold conditions as Srinagar recorded a low of minus 7.3° Celsius on Tuesday night — down from the previous night’s minus 6.6° Celsius, the meteorological department said on Wednesday.

It has predicted a dip of two to three degrees in the minimum temperatures in Kashmir over the next two days. Except in Gulmarg, the night temperatures plummeted across all other weather stations in the Kashmir valley.

“Until the end of this year, no major weather changes are expected,” said Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of the Meteorological Department.

Currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’, the harshest winter period of 40 days that started on December 21, the Kashmir valley is experiencing below-normal maximum as well as minimum temperatures for this time of the season, the officials said.

The fall in the mercury has led to the freezing of water supply lines even as a thin layer of ice covered the surface of several water bodies, including the Dal Lake.

The city was colder than Gulmarg where the mercury settled at a low of minus 6.6° Celsius, up from minus 7.4° Celsius the previous night, the department added.

Pahalgam registered a minimum temperature of minus 8.4° Celsius, down from the previous night’s minus 7.8° Celsius, it said.

Qazigund logged a minimum temperature of minus 6.6° Celsius, while Konibal, a hamlet in the Pampore area, was the coldest recorded place in the Valley at minus 9.5° Celsius, it said.

Kupwara, in north Kashmir, registered a low of minus 6.4° Celsius, while Kokernag, in south Kashmir, was at minus 5.4° Celsius.

There is a possibility of light snowfall over the higher reaches towards the later afternoon on December 27 till the forenoon the next day, the Met Office said.