At minus 9.0°C, Gulmarg coldest place in JK

Srinagar, Feb 1: Barring Srinagar and Kupwara, the minimum temperatures stayed below freezing point in Kashmir Valley with the famous tourist resort of Gulmarg recording a low of 9.0°C on Tuesday, officials said here.
A meteorological department official here said that Srinagar, the summer capital of the J&K, recorded a low of 1.8°C against last night’s minus 1.6°C on the previous night.
While the ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day long harshest period of winter which started from December 21 has ended, Kashmir is under the grip of the 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ which would be followed by 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 9.0°C against minus 6.6°C on the previous night, he said.
The temperature is 1.4°C below normal for this time of the year in the famous resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 0.3°C against minus 2.8°C on the previous night, he said.
Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 2.6°C against minus 2.4°C on the previous night, the official said.
Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 6.2°C against minus 4.8°C on the last night, he said.
Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of 0.3°C against minus 0.6°C on the previous night, the official said.
Jammu recorded a low of 7.2°C against previous night’s 7.7°C. The temperature was 1.2°C below normal for the J&K’s winter capital during this time of the year, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of minus 1.6°C, Katra had a minimum of 7.0°C while Bhaderwah recorded a low of minus 1.1°C, the official said.
Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 12.4°C against last night’s minus 10.6°C while mercury at automatic station in Kargil settled at minus 13.7°C. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 20.2°C against last night’s minus 14.7°C, official said.
The weatherman has forecast “mainly dry weather over Jammu and Kashmir” in next 24 hours. “Fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rain and snow” has been forecast on Feb 3.
Overall, weather is likely to remain partly to generally cloudy (this) week. There’s no forecast of any major weather till 1st week of February.” (GNS)