Minimum temperatures across the Kashmir Valley remained below freezing point on Thursday as intense cold wave conditions continued in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, the Met department said.
Weather will remain cloudy and dry during the next seven days, it added.
Leh at minus 8.1 was the coldest, followed by Kargil at minus 7.4., the Met official said.
Srinagar city recorded minus 0.9, while Pahalgam and Gulmarg both recorded minus 3 degrees Celsius.
Jammu was at 10.9, Katra 10.4, Batote 5.3, Bannihal 1.7 and Bhaderwah was at 4.2 degrees Celsius.
The cold weather is slowly engulfing the plains of Jammu as the minimum and maximum temperatures continue to plummet with each passing day.
People in rural areas burn bonfires during morning and evening to keep themselves warm.
As per the meteorological forecast, the weather will remain dry for the next few days. For the past few days, the maximum temperature has remained between 24°C and 25°C, while the minimum temperature has remained between 11°C and 12°C.
“The days are warm but the mornings and evenings are cold. If it rains, the temperature will further go down,” said Surinder Sharma, a local.
The weather in the upper reaches influences the temperature in the plains of J&K. If the mountains receive more snowfall, Jammu experiences a cold wave.
“It doesn’t snow here but the snowfall in the mountains bring chill in the plains. We hope that the power supply is not affected this year in winter,” said Sonam Sharma, a university student.
Across the region, while farmers are harvesting paddy, the preparations are underway for sowing of wheat.
