SRINAGAR : The summer capital, Srinagar, recorded coldest night of the winter so far after the minimum temperature witnessed further drop and settled at minus 1.4 degree on Sunday which was 3.2 notches below normal.
Meanwhile, the majority of water bodies in Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh and Skardu in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) froze due to sub zero minimum temperature. A Met department spokesman said on Sunday that weather will remain mainly dry in Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Gilgit and Baltistan divisions during the next 24 hours. There will also be no significant change in the weather during the next 48 hours, he said.
However, he said, there is possibility of wet weather on November 13 in Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Gilgit and Baltistan. Spokesman said today that the due to open sky during the night in the Kashmir valley, the minimum temperature was recorded below normal. However, the maximum temperature remained above normal due to open sky and the sun was out though the intensity of the heat was less.
The power curtailment for three hours in metered areas and four hours in non metered areas coupled with icy cold winds disrupted the normal life. He said Srinagar, the capital city of UT of Jammu and Kashmir, witnessed coldest night of the season so far after the minimum temperature recorded further drop and settled at minus 1.4 degree, which was 3.2 notches below normal.
Earlier, coldest night was on November 7 when it was minus 0.9 degree. However, the maximum temperature on Saturday in Srinagar was 21.2 degree, 3.3 notches above normal. Spokesman said the sky would be mainly clear to generally cloudy during the next 24 hours when the maximum temperature will be 20 degree and minimum temperature minus 0.1 degree.
World famous health resort of Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, recorded minus 2.8 degree minimum temperature, lowest in the valley. It was 3.8 degree below normal after recording 17.1 degree maximum temperature which was 2.2 notches above normal.
The water level in river Lidder passing through Pahalgam has also started to drop as snow on upper reaches, main source of the water body, has started freezing due to below freezing temperature. Interestingly the world famous ski resort of Gulmarg, about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, where light snowfall was witnessed last month, the mercury remained above normal.
The maximum temperature at Gulmarg on Saturday was 12.6 degree which was two notches above normal while the minimum temperature on Sunday was 1.8 degree, 0.6 degree above normal.
However, the tourists continued to stay away from the ski resort though locals have started visiting there after the Gandola Cable Car (GCC), connecting highest skiing point from base camp, was made operational after remaining shut for about six months due to COVID-19 restrictions.
However, the GCC will operate only on Saturday and Sunday. In Ladakh region Leh, capital of UT, the majority water bodies were frozen after the minimum temperature recorded considerable drop.
It was minus 10.6 degree in Leh while in the upper reaches it was between minus 15 to minus 20 degree. Met spokesman said the sky would be mainly clear to generally cloudy during the next 24 hours when the minimum and maximum temperatures would be around 10 and minus 10 degree respectively.
At border town of Kargil on the Srinagar-Leh road, the minimum temperature was minus 4.2 degree while it was below minus 8 degree at Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia. Skardu in POK recorded minus 5.7 degree minimum temperature while it was minus 1 degree at Gilgit. Muzaffarabad, capital of POK recorded 6.6 degree while it was 10 degree at Mirpur, he said. (AGENCIES)
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