Slight respite from cold in Leh, Kargil

There was slight respite from bone-chilling cold conditions in Leh and Kargil, in the frontier Ladakh region, as the night temperatures rose by two degrees, while cold wave continued unabated in Kashmir Valley which is experiencing sub-zero nights.
Leh continued to be the coldest place in the state as it recorded a minimum temperature of minus 12.5 degrees Celsius, an increase of two degrees from the previous night's minus 14.6 degrees Celsius, a MeT official said here today.
Kargil, also in Ladakh region, was the second coldest place recording a low of minus 12.1 degrees Celsius, an increase of over two degrees from minus 14.4 degrees Celsius the previous night.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, registered the minimum temperature of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, same as of the previous night.
The famous hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp during the annual Amarnath yatra, was the coldest recorded place in the Valley with a low of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius, as against 6.6 degrees the previous night.
Gulmarg, the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius, compared to the previous night's minus 2.2 degrees Celsius.

North Kashmir's Kupwara town, 90 kms from here, recorded a low of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius against yesterday's minus 4.7 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.

Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, and Kokernag hill resort in south Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.6 and minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The department has said that there is a possibility of isolated light rain and snow on December 21 and 22, the day 'Chillai-kalan' - the harshest 40-day winter period starts.