Mercury dips slightly, dry weather in J-K

The minimum temperature in most parts of Kashmir dropped slightly as the weather continued to remain dry, but the mercury settled above the freezing point across the Valley for the third consecutive night.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, recorded a minimum temperature of 1.4 degrees Celsius, compared to the previous night's 2.4 degrees Celsius, a MET Department official said here.
Leh, in Ladakh region, was the coldest recorded place in the state even though the night temperature in the town increased over five degrees to settle at a minimum of -5.6 degrees Celsius, he said, adding the town had recorded a low of -10.9 degrees Celsius the previous night.

The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg recorded a low of 0.4 degree Celsius, down from the last night's 1.6 degrees Celsius, he said.
The official said the night temperature in Pahalgam, a tourist resort which serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, settled at a low of 0.1 degree Celsius, compared to the previous night's 0.5 degrees.
The minimum temperature in Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir Valley, went slightly up to settle at a low of 0.7 degree Celsius from the previous night's 0.2 degree Celsius, the official said.

The night temperature in south Kashmir town of Kokernag also went up to 2.1 degrees Celsius compared to yesterday's 1.1 degrees Celsius, he said.

The official said the minimum temperature in Kupwara in north Kashmir dipped slightly to a low of 0.5 degree Celsius, against the previous night's low of 0.8 degree Celsius.
He said the night temperature in nearby Kargil town also increased to -2.0 degrees Celsius from the previous night's 3.0 degrees Celsius.
The MeT Department has said there would not be any major change in the weather and it would remain dry for the next 24 hours.