Slight respite from cold wave in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Residents of Kashmir division, including Ladakh region, experienced slight respite from the intense cold wave as the minimum temperature appreciated, with the MeT department predicting isolated to scattered rains or snow tonight.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded the minimum temperature of minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, slightly up from minus 1.9 degrees Celsius the previous night, a spokesperson of the MeT department said today.

Kargil, in Ladakh region, recorded a low of minus 19 degrees Celsius, two degrees up from yesterday's minus 21 degrees, he said, adding the town continues to be the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir.

Kargil had yesterday recorded the lowest temperature of the season.

He said the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, the star attraction for tourists especially skiers from abroad, recorded the minimum temperature of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius, up by over a degree from the previous night's minus 8.5 degrees Celsius.

Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir, which serves as the base camp during the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 6.5 degrees Celsius, an increase of 2.5 degrees from the previous night's minus 9.0 degrees Celsius, he said.

The spokesperson said the mercury in Qazigund on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway settled at a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, compared to minus 3.2 degrees Celsius yesterday.

The night temperature in Kupwara, in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.8 degrees Celsius, up from minus 2.6 degrees Celsius the previous night, he said.

Mercury in Kokernag resort, in south Kashmir, appreciated by over one degree from minus 4.0 degrees Celsius to settle at minus 2.6 degrees.

The spokesperson said the nearby Leh town in Ladakh recorded a low of minus 10.6 degrees Celsius, over two degrees up from minus 13.1 degrees Celsius yesterday.

The MeT Office has predicted isolated to scattered rains or snow from this evening till tomorrow.