Kashmir valley in grip of cold conditions, Pulwama coldest place

Kashmir experienced freezing temperatures, with Srinagar at −4°C and Pulwama at −5.6°C, accompanied by dense fog across the valley. Meteorologists forecast isolated light snowfall in higher reaches late Thursday night and again on December 8, while most areas remain dry

Srinagar: Kashmir reeled under cold conditions as the minimum temperature settled below the freezing point, even as a thick layer of fog engulfed most parts of the valley, officials said on Thursday.

The night temperature in Srinagar settled at a low of minus 4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night, slightly up from minus 4.4 degrees Celsius the previous night, the officials said.

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A thick blanket of fog wrapped Srinagar and other parts of the valley, especially areas around water bodies, they said.

Pulwama town in south Kashmir was the coldest recorded place in the valley with a minimum temperature of minus 5.6 degrees Celsius.

The gateway town to the valley, Qazigund, recorded a low of minus 3.6 degrees Celsius, while the minimum settled at minus 3.2 degrees Celsius in north Kashmir’s Kupwara, and minus 0.8 degrees Celsius in south Kashmir’s Kokernag, the officials said.

The Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius, while the Gulmarg skiing resort in north Kashmir recorded minus 1 degree Celsius.

The meteorological department said there is a possibility of a brief spell of light snow at isolated places in the higher reaches, late on Thursday night and early Friday morning.

The weather office said while the weather would remain generally dry on December 6-7, another brief spell of light snowfall at isolated places in the higher reaches is likely on December 8.