Temp dips as higher reaches of Valley receives fresh snowfall

The higher reaches of Kashmir Valley received fresh snowfall while many areas in the plains received rains leading to drop in temperature, as the MeT department predicted more showers and snow for today.
Fresh snowfall was recorded in the famous tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam and many areas in the higher reaches of the Valley, while the plains, including Srinagar, received rains during the night, a MeT Department official said here.
Around one inch of fresh snowfall was recorded at Gulmarg and Pahalgam while its higher reaches experienced moderate to heavy snowfall of which there is no record, he said.

Snowfall was reported from higher reaches of Shopian, including Mughal Road, Sonamarg, Amarnath Cave, Sheshnag, Panjtarni, Z-Gali, Sadhna Top and Razdan Pass.
Fresh snowfall led to decrease in temperature across Kashmir division except Qazigund - the gateway town to the Valley - where the mercury increased by two notches from the previous night's low of minus 2.2 degrees Celsius to settle at a low of minus 0.2 degree Celsius, the official said.
Night temperature once again went below freezing point in Srinagar as it recorded a low of minus 0.3 degrees Celsius, against previous night's 0.1 degrees Celsius. It had witnessed a huge respite as mercury settled above zero degrees the previous night for the first time in last 10 days, he said.

The minimum temperature decreased by over four degrees in Pahalgam in south Kashmir as mercury settled at a low of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius compared to previous night's minus 2.1 degrees Celsius, the official said.

Gulmarg at minus 11.4 degrees Celsius was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir, over a degree down from the previous night's low of minus 10 degrees Celsius, he said.
The minimum temperature at Kupwara in north Kashmir went down from previous night's zero degrees Celsius to settle at minus 1 degree Celsius, the official said.
While Kokernag in south Kashmir registered a minimum of minus 2.3 degrees Celsius, nearly a degree down from previous night's minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, Leh's minimum temperature, decreased from previous night's minus 10.2 degrees Celsius to minus 11.3 degrees Celsius, he said.

Kargil town recorded a low of minus 10.5 degrees Celsius against previous night's minus 10.0 degrees Celsius.
The official said, there is possibility of rains in the plains and light to moderate snowfall in the higher reaches of the Valley today which is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the harshest period of winter, from December 21.
The night temperature settled above freezing point at
most places with Qazigund town on Srinagar-Jammu national highway recording the highest 2.4 degrees Celsius, followed by the nearby hill resort of Kokernag at 2.2 degrees Celsius, the spokesman added.
Kupwara town in north Kashmir also recorded a low of 1.0 degrees Celsius, an improvement of almost one degrees compared to the previous night, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Kargil in frontier region of Ladakh was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir with a low of minus 9.8 degrees Celsius.
The nearby Leh town, also in the cold desert of Ladakh, witnessed a drop of almost four degrees in the night temperature, which settled at minus 8.9 degrees Celsius against yesterday's minus 5.1 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.