Srinagar: The dry wintry spell intensified in Kashmir valley with the minimum temperature plunging to minus 4.3°C in Kashmir's Capital, Srinagar, and Pahalgam being coldest in the valley at minus 11.7°C.
Srinagar recorded a drop of minus 1.6°C against minus 2.7°C last night. Today’s minimum temperature was 2.2°C below normal, a meteorological department official said.
In South Kashmir; the gateway town of the valley, Qazigund recorded its coldest night so far this season at minus 7.4°C on Wednesday (4.1°C below normal), he said.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 11.7°C against minus 11.8°C on the previous night which was the coldest night recorded this season in the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, he said.
Today’s temperature was 4.5°C below normal for the place, he said.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 6.3°C against minus 5.2°C on the previous night (2.4°C below normal).
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 11.3°C against minus 11.5°C on the previous night, the official said. While today’s minimum temperature was 3.6°C below normal in the world-famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. It recorded its coldest night this winter on January 16.
In Kupwara, he said, the mercury settled at minus 6.2°C against minus 4.3°C on the previous night and it was 3.1°C below normal.
Jammu recorded a low of 4.5°C against 3.1°C on the previous night. It was 2.6°C below normal, in its other districts; Batote had minus 0.5°C (below normal by 2.3°C), and Katra had 4.2°C (2.0°C below normal).
Pir Panjal's Banihal recorded a low of minus 0.3°C (below normal by 0.1°C), and Chenab's Bhadarwah logged minus 1.4°C (0.5°C below normal).
In Ladakh, Leh, and Kargil recorded a low of minus 15.8°C and minus 23.1°C respectively, the official said.
He said the weather is likely to be mainly dry and partly cloudy during the next 24 hours.
The MeT predicted light rainfall or snowfall over plains and moderate snow over middle and higher reaches most likely on the 23rd/24th of January.
(GNS)