Respite from cold conditions in Kashmir; MeT predicts snowfall

There was some respite from cold conditions in Kashmir as the night temperatures rose across the Valley and settled near the freezing point in most places, with the MeT Department predicting snowfall in the higher reaches on Thursday.

“There are chances of snowfall in the higher reaches of the Kashmir Valley today,” a spokesman of the MeT Department said.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, settled at zero degree Celsius, slightly up from the previous night’s minus 0.8 degree Celsius.

Mercury in Gulmarg – the famous ski resort in north Kashmir – also recorded a low of zero degree Celsius, up by a degree from last night’s minus 1.0 degrees Celsius – increasing the chances of snowfall.

Pahalgam – the base camp for annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir – registered an increase of one degree from yesterday’s minus 3.8 degrees Celsius to settle at a low of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius.

Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of 0.7 degrees Celsius, over two degrees up from yesterday’s minus 2 degrees Celsius, he said.

There was a slight increase in the night temperatures in Qazigund and Kokernag towns in south Kashmir as the mercury settled at a low of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius and 0.4 degree Celsius respectively.

Leh, in the frontier region of Ladakh, continued to be the coldest place in the state with the minimum there settling at minus 9.7 degrees Celsius as compared to minus 9.9 degrees Celsius the previous night.

The nearby Kargil town recorded a low of minus 9.2 degrees Celsius as against yesterday’s minus 9.8 degrees Celsius.