Winter’s icy grip tightens

Srinagar, Dec 19: The cold conditions intensified in Kashmir as Pahalgam shivered at minus at -6.9 degrees Celsius and Srinagar at minus 3.7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday even as the Meteorological Department predicted dry weather till December 22.

The MeT officials said that the weather would mainly remain dry till December 23, and from December 24 to 26, it would be generally cloudy with the possibility of light snow over isolated higher reaches. “Overall, there is no significant weather activity till December 26,” they said.

The MeT officials said that Pahalgam recorded the season’s coldest night at minus 6.9 degrees Celsius, compared to the minus 5.8 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night and it was 2.5 degrees Celsius below normal for the tourist hot spot in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

They said many parts of south Kashmir recorded the coldest night of the season with Anantnag recording minus 5.1 degrees Celsius, Pulwama minus 5.5 degrees Celsius, Shopian minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, and Kulgam minus 3.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

The MeT officials said that mercury plummeted in Srinagar and was recorded at minus 3.7 degrees Celsius against the 0.5 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night and it was 2.2 degrees Celsius below normal.
They said that the maximum temperature in Srinagar was 2 above the normal of 9 degrees Celsius recorded on Tuesday.

The MeT officials said that the night temperature at Gulmarg showed an improvement after experiencing the coldest night of the season at minus 8 degrees Celsius on Monday after recording minus 6.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

They said it was 1.8 degrees Celsius below normal for the famous ski resort of north Kashmir.

The MeT officials said that the mercury in Qazigund in south Kashmir plunged to minus 4.2 degrees Celsius against the 0.8 degrees Celsius recorded a day ago, while Kokernag recorded a low of minus 3.1 degrees Celsius against the 1.1 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night.

They said that the mercury in Kupwara dipped to minus 3.1 degrees Celsius against the 2.2 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night and it was 1.4 degrees Celsius below normal for the north Kashmir district.