Cold intensifies in Kashmir Valley; Kargil shivers at minus 17 degree Celsius

SRINAGAR: Kargil, in the frontier Ladakh region, was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir as the minimum temperature there plummeted by nearly six degrees to minus 17 degrees Celsius even as the cold wave tightened its grip in the state.

The mercury in Kargil town settled at minus 17.0 degrees Celsius, down by nearly six degrees from the previous night's minus 11.4 degrees Celsius, a spokesperson of the MeT department here said.

The town registered a dip of 12 degrees in the minimum temperature in the last two days as it had recorded a low of minus 5.0 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

Leh, also in Ladakh, recorded a low of minus 14.4 degrees Celsius, a decrease of nearly three degrees from minus 11.7 degrees Celsius the previous night, the spokesperson said.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded the minimum temperature of minus 0.8 degree Celsius, over a degree down from the previous night's 0.6 degree Celsius, he said.

The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg, the star attraction for tourists especially skiers from across the country and abroad, recorded a low of minus 8.4 degrees Celsius compared to minus 7.8 degrees Celsius the previous night.