Srinagar: Kashmir got some respite from intense cold wave conditions as minimum temperatures rose by a couple of degrees, even as mercury remained below the freezing point, officials said on Monday.
The sub-zero temperatures and clear skies resulted in freezing of parts of the Dal Lake and other water-bodies in the valley.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday night, up from the previous night’s minus 5.2 degrees Celsius, the official said.
Srinagar recorded its coldest night this season on Thursday, with the mercury dipping to a low of minus 6 degrees Celsius.
South Kashmir’s Pulwama town was the coldest place in the valley with a minimum temperature of minus 6.5 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam tourist resort recorded a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius.
The night temperature in the popular ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district settled at a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night’s minus 6.2 degrees Celsius.
The tourist resort of Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district recorded a minimum temperature of 2.4 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund, the gateway town of the valley, registered a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, Kokernag minus 1.8 degrees Celsius and Kupwara minus 3.7 degrees Celsius.
Kashmir is currently in the midst of ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, 40 days of extreme cold, when night temperatures often drop several degrees below the freezing point and the chances of snowfall are the highest.
‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, which began on December 21 last year, ends on January 30.
The plains of the valley have not received any snowfall so far this season.
The India Meteorological Department has said the weather is likely to remain dry but cloudy till January 21.
Day, night temperatures hit season’s low in Jammu; 5 flights cancelled
Bone-chilling cold tightened its grip on Jammu on Monday as the city recorded the coldest day and night temperatures of the season, disrupting normal life and forcing the cancellation of five flights at Jammu airport due to dense fog and poor visibility, officials said.
Jammu recorded a maximum temperature of 9.6 degrees Celsius, nearly eight notches below the seasonal average, while the minimum dipped to 3.4 degrees Celsius, around 3.5 notches below normal, marking the lowest temperature recorded in the city this season, an official of the meteorological department said.
He said Jammu city was colder than most recorded places in Jammu and Kashmir, with Banihal town—the gateway to the Kashmir Valley—much warmer at 19.3 degrees Celsius, followed by Srinagar at 12.4 degrees Celsius and even the famous Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir at 10.8 degrees Celsius.
Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Reasi district recorded a high of 15.5 degrees Celsius and a low of 5.0 degrees Celsius.
Scenes of people huddling around bonfires were witnessed at various places across Jammu as residents tried to keep themselves warm after waking up to dense fog in the morning.
Severe cold was witnessed a day before Lohri, a popular festival in Jammu which marks the end of winter and the onset of longer days after the Winter Solstice. It also coincides with the harvesting season of Rabi crops.
An airport official said that of the 36 scheduled flights to and from Jammu airport, five were cancelled while eight others were delayed due to poor visibility.
The cancelled flights included Delhi–Jammu–Delhi, Srinagar–Jammu–Delhi, Leh–Jammu–Leh, Delhi–Jammu–Srinagar and another Delhi–Jammu–Delhi service. (PTI)
