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Cold conditions tightened its grip on Kashmir on Wednesday as Srinagar experienced the coldest night of the season at minus 3.9 degrees Celsius, while the mercury settled below the freezing point at most places in the Valley, officials said on Wednesday. The night temperature in Srinagar was 4 degrees below the normal for the season, officials at the local meteorological department said. Konibal in south Kashmir's Pulwama district was the coldest recorded place in the Valley at minus 5.5 degrees Celsius. The Pahalgam tourist resort recorded a low of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature in Gulmarg settled at zero degree Celsius, the officials said. Qazigund, the gateway town to the Valley, recorded minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara in north Kashmir settled for a low of minus 4 degrees Celsius. The MeT department has forecast mainly dry weather across Kashmir till December 2, with a possibility of a further fall in the night temperature.
US retail sales dropped sharply last month, in part because cold weather kept more Americans indoors, denting sales at car dealers and most other stores. Retail sales dropped 0.9 per cent in January from the previous month, the Commerce Department said, after two months of healthy gains. It was a much bigger drop than economists expected and the biggest decline since last January. The average temperature in January was the lowest since 1988, according to Pantheon Macroeconomics, and was particularly disruptive in the South. Devastating fires in Los Angeles may have also impacted spending. Sales plummeted 2.8 per cent last month at auto dealers and slumped at furniture stores, home and garden centres. Even the usually strong online retail sector saw a 1.9 per cent decline. Sales rose at general merchandise stores, a category that includes big retailers like Walmart and Target, and at restaurants and bars. In addition to cold weather, the decline could reflect falling consumer ...