Minimum temperature rises in Kashmir

The minimum temperature rose at most places in Kashmir as the mercury settled several degrees above the freezing point but there was no respite from the cold conditons in Ladakh region.
The minimum temperature in Srinagar - the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir settled at 5.3 degrees Celsius, nearly three degrees up from the previous night's 2.8 degrees Celsius, an official of the Meteorological Department here said.
He said this is for the first time since November last year that the minimum temperature in the city settled above the freezing point.
Kokernag hill resort in south Kashmir recorded a low of 4.1 degrees Celsius, an increase of over four degrees from yesterday's zero degrees Celsius, the official said.

He said the night temperature in Qazigund and Kupwara towns settled at the low of 1.4 degrees Celsius and 1.3 degrees Celsius respectively.
However, the official said, the night temperature went down at the twin resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam which recorded fresh snowfall on the previous night.

The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, a star attraction for tourists visiting the Valley during winter, registered a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius compared to the previous night's minus 2.2 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp during the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded the minimum of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night's 0.3 degree Celsius.

Leh, 434 kms from Srinagar, in Ladakh region, recorded a low of minus 10.4 degrees Celsius down by nearly six degrees from yesterday's minus 4.5 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said the town was the coldest recorded place in the state.
The nearby Kargil town witnessed a decrease in the night temperature as the mercury there settled at minus 9.4 degrees Celsius against the previous night's minus 2 degrees Celsius, the official said.
The MET Office has forecast mainly dry weather in the Valley over a few days.