Srinagar records season's coldest night at minus 4.5

Srinagar on Saturday recorded the season's coldest night so far as the minimum temperature dropped to minus 4.5 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures continued to fall across the valley due to clear night sky.

Foggy weather disrupted air traffic to and from Srinagar for the third consecutive day.

"At minus 4.5 degrees Celsius, Srinagar city recorded this season's coldest night so far," an official from the Met department told IANS here.

"The minimum temperature was recorded at minus 3 degree Celsius in Pahalgam and minus 1 degree Celsius in Gulmarg.

"Leh was the coldest town in Jammu and Kashmir today (Saturday) as the minimum temperature dropped to minus 11.9 degrees Celsius.

"Kargil town recorded minus 8.2 degrees Celsius," the official said.

According to the official, light snow in the higher reaches and rains in the plains likely during the next 24 hours can bring in some respite from the heavy fog that clouds the valley in the mornings and evenings these days.

Water tapes at many places in Srinagar city have frozen due to sub-zero night temperatures.

People were seen burning small fires around frozen water tapes to de-freeze them especially in the old city areas and city outskirts.

The minimum temperature in Jammu city was 11.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday while in the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine base camp town of Katra it was 10.7 degrees Celsius.

Batote town in the Jammu region recorded 6.5 degrees Celsius, Bannihal 1.5 and Bhaderwah 3.5 degrees Celsius as the lowest night temperatures.

--IANS

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