Srinagar, Dec 19: People in Kashmir had some respite from the cold even though temperature across the Valley stayed several degrees below the freezing point, a Meteorological (MeT) official said Wednesday.
The night temperature also improved slightly in Kargil town in Ladakh region which experienced the coldest night of the season Tuesday.
The official said the mercury in Kargil town settled at a low of minus 14.9 degrees Celsius last night – up nearly one degrees from minus 15.8 degrees Celsius the previous night.
The nearby Leh town saw a massive rise in the night temperature as the mercury rose from minus 15.1 degrees Celsius previous night to minus 6.0 degrees Celsius, the official said.
In Srinagar the night temperature settled at a low of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius last night – up from minus 4.6 degrees Celsius the previous night, he said.
The normal for this time of the season in the city is minus 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The official said Qazigund in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 3.2 degrees Celsius, while the nearby Kokernag town registered a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius last night.
Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius Tuesday night, they said.
The night temperature in Pahalgam in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 8.4 degrees Celsius last night – down from the previous night’s minus 7.7 degrees Celsius.
The ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded the minimum temperature of minus 4.0 degrees Celsius last night – up from the previous night’s minus 7.6 degrees Celsius, the officials said.
The normal for this time of the winter in the twin resorts is minus 4.4 degrees Celsius and minus 4.8 degrees Celsius respectively. The MeT Office has forecast mainly dry weather for the week ahead.
The night temperature in most parts of Jammu region also marked further increase, with the city of temples recording a low of 6 degrees Celsius, three degrees below the normal during this time of the season, officials said.
Jammu city recorded season’s lowest night temperature of 4.4 degrees Celsius Monday, recording a fall of almost six degrees during the past week following the recent snowfall in the high altitude areas and rains in the plains.
The downward trend in the minimum temperature, however, changed when the city marked a marginal increase after the night temperature settled at 5.1 degrees Celsius Tuesday.
Bhaderwah town in Doda district, which was the reeling under sub-zero temperature after the last week’s snowfall, recorded a minimum of 0.4 degrees Celsius against the previous night’s minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, officials said.
They said Katra town, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Reasi district, experienced a low of 7 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Banihal – the gateway town to Kashmir valley along Jammu-Srinagar national highway – was 0.5 degrees Celsius, while the nearby Batote recorded a low of 3.3 degrees Celsius, they said.
