SRINAGAR: The minimum temperature in Srinagar settled above the freezing point for the first time in over a month as the mercury rose at most places in Kashmir on Thursday, providing relief to the residents, even as the valley experienced fresh snowfall, officials said.
Srinagar city — the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir — recorded a low of 0.4 degrees Celsius last night, up from the previous night’s minus 0.4 degrees Celsius, the officials said. They said it was for the first time in 37 days that the night temperature in the city settled above the freezing point. The city had recorded zero degrees Celsius on December 29 last year and since then it was reeling under sub zero minimum temperatures. The cold wave had intensified across the valley after heavy snowfall on January 3 and Srinagar recorded its lowest minimum temperature in 30 years on January 31 at minus 8.8 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund – the gateway town to the valley – recorded a minimum of 0.8 degrees Celsius, three degrees up from minus 2.8 degrees Celsius the previous night, the officials said. Pahalgam tourist resort, which also serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius – up from the previous night’s minus 3.9 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature at the Gulmarg skiing resort, in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, settled at minus 6.4 degrees Celsius last night — down from minus 5.2 degrees Celsius the previous night. The resort was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir. Kupwara town, in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature in Kokernag, in the south, settled at minus 5.1 degrees Celsius.
Most parts of Kashmir received fresh, light snowfall on Wednesday night, the officials said. Srinagar recorded 1.2 cm of fresh snowfall while Pahalgam received 1.6 cm, they said. Qazigund received around five inches of snow, Kulgam recorded five inches, and Shopian got four inches of snow, they added. The officials said there are reports of fresh snowfall in many other areas in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the Met office, there would be significant improvement in the weather from Thursday afternoon onwards while it is expected to stay mainly dry for the next one week. The minimum temperature is likely to fall by two to three degrees, it said.
