Slight respite from cold in Kashmir

People in Kashmir had some respite from the cold in Kashmir, but the minimum 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 summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir 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 the gateway town to the Valley - 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, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra 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.