Snowfall in Kashmir Valley brings respite from cold

Several parts of Kashmir Valley received snowfall, ending the over two month-long dry spell and giving residents a respite from intense cold conditions as night temperatures stayed above the freezing point.
Srinagar recorded 1.8 cms of snowfall and the minimum temperature increased from -3.9 degrees Celsius to settle at a low of 0.3 degree Celsius last night, an official of the MeT Department said here.
Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir Valley, received 13 cms of snow and recorded a low of 0.2 degree Celsius, compared to the previous night's -3.2 degrees Celsius, he said.
Kokernag, in south Kashmir, which recorded a low of -2.2 degrees Celsius the previous night, registered a low of -1.4 degrees Celsius.

Kupwara, in north Kashmir, recorded a rise of three degrees in the night temperature as the mercury settled at a low of 0.3 degree Celsius compared to the previous night's -3.1 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam hill resort, which serves as a base camp during the annual Amarnath yatra, received 17 cms of snow and recorded a low of -2.4 degrees Celsius, over two degrees rise as against the previous night's -5.6 degrees Celsius.

The official said the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg received 15 cms of snow and the night temperature recorded a low of -6.6 degrees Celsius, compared to -7 degrees Celsius the previous night.

The night temperature also increased in Leh, in the frontier region of Ladakh, as the mercury settled at a low of -6.2 degrees Celsius, against -12.4 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Leh was the coldest recorded place in the state. The official said the data was not available for Kargil.
The MeT department has predicted light rain or snow at a few places in the state, with a decrease in precipitation in the next two days.
Kashmir Valley is currently going through Chillai-Kalan - the 40-day harshest period of winter - which set in yesterday.
The possibility of snowfall is maximum and most frequent during this time.