Sajid Raina
Srinagar, Nov 27: Kashmir witnessed a severe drop in night temperatures on Thursday, with Srinagar, Qazigund and Kupwara registering their coldest November minimum temperatures in more than a decade, signalling an early peak of winter conditions in the Valley.
Meteorological data shared by weather expert Faizan Arif shows that several stations recorded their lowest November night temperatures since 2007 and 2009, accompanied by widespread sub-zero readings across the region.
According to the figures, Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of –4.4°C, marking its coldest November night since 2007, when –4.8°C was recorded on November 28. The lowest ever November minimum in Srinagar remains –7.8°C, registered on November 29, 1934.
Qazigund also recorded its coldest November temperature since 2007, touching –4.0°C. The town last saw a similar minimum of –5.5°C on November 28, 2007. Its lowest-ever November reading stands at –8.2°C, recorded on November 24, 1962.
Kupwara dipped to –4.4°C, the lowest November minimum in the district since 2009, when –4.6°C was recorded on November 19. The all-time lowest November temperature for Kupwara remains –5.5°C, measured on November 29, 2007.
The cold wave extended across South and North Kashmir, with most stations witnessing sharp falls in night temperatures.
Pahalgam recorded –5.0°C, Pampore –5.5°C, Budgam –4.6°C, Bandipora –4.5°C, Awantipora –4.0°C, while Anantnag and Pulwama registered –5.7°C and –5.8°C respectively. Shopian remained the coldest in the Valley at –6.5°C. Gulmarg settled at –1.0°C, and Zojila Pass reported the lowest overall reading at –16.0°C.
In the Jammu region, night temperatures also declined but largely stayed above freezing. Jammu recorded 8.7°C, Katra 8.5°C, Batote 4.0°C, Bhaderwah 0.4°C, Rajouri 2.0°C, and Udhampur 4.6°C. Jammu Airport registered 10.1°C, the highest minimum across both regions.
In Ladakh, the cold spell was more intense, with Leh recording –8.6°C, Kargil –9.5°C, and Nubra –7.7°C.
Faizan forecast mostly dry weather across Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh over the next 10 days.
He said that a weak Western Disturbance around 30 November may bring isolated snowfall over the upper reaches, followed by another weak system expected from December 5.
