Valley draped in fog, mercury dips below freezing point

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, November 20

Kashmir awoke to a frosty morning as a thick blanket of fog and sub-freezing temperatures gripped the Valley. On Sunday night, Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K, recorded a minimum temperature of - 0.8° Celsius, marking a deviation of 1.2° below the usual seasonal average, according to officials from the India Meteorological Department. The city also experienced a decline in the maximum temperature, settling at 12.5° Celsius on Sunday. However, it was Shopian that bore the brunt of the cold, earning the title of the coldest place in the Valley as temperatures dropped to a bone-chilling -3.8° Celsius. Following closely, Pahalgam, another prominent location in the southern part of Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of -2.6° Celsius.

Other regions also reported freezing temperatures, with Bandipora in North Kashmir reaching -2.5° Celsius, while Gulmarg recorded -1.2° Celsius. The frigid conditions were accompanied by dense fog in Srinagar during the early hours, severely limiting visibility and causing disruptions for commuters.

The meteorological forecast predicts continued dry weather across the Valley for the next 48 hours. As the cold snap intensified, normal activities faced disruption in many parts of Kashmir, compounded by fog and haze that enveloped the plains on Monday.

The Meteorological Centre in Srinagar anticipates dry weather prevailing over Jammu and Kashmir, with isolated morning fog likely over the plains of the Kashmir division within the next 24 hours.

In Srinagar, the dry weather and cloudy sky, combined with haze and fog, affected visibility in areas such as the renowned Dal Lake and its surrounding localities on Monday. Commuters navigated through the dimly lit roads of Srinagar, including the Boulevard Road, often relying on headlights to combat the thick fog.

Qazigund, situated on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, reported a minimum temperature of -0.4° Celsius, down from the previous night’s 1.8° Celsius. Pahalgam maintained its position as the coldest place, with the minimum temperature further dropping to -2.6° Celsius, compared to -2° Celsius recorded the previous day.

Kupwara recorded a low of -0.8° Celsius, down from 1.2° Celsius recorded the previous night, while Kokernag experienced a low of 1.2° Celsius against 1.8° Celsius recorded a day ago.

#Kashmir #Srinagar