Higher reaches receive light snowfall, temp drops

Srinagar, Feb 8: While upper reaches including Gulmarg and Pahalgam received fresh light snowfall while rains lashed plains, night temperature recorded a drop at most places in Kashmir Valley on Tuesday, officials said.
A meteorological department official here said that Srinagar, the summer capital of the J&K, had 0.7mm of rainfall during the last 24 hours till 0830 hours today and recorded a low of 1.4°C against last night’s 2.2°C, he said.
Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, had 0.8mm rain while it recorded a low of 0.3°C against 0.6°C on the previous night, he said.
Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, had a low of minus 0.5°C against minus 1.3°C on the previous night, the official said.
Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, received 0.3 cms of fresh snowfall and recorded a low of minus 6.2°C against minus 0.5°C last night, he said.
Gulmarg received 3.8cms of snow and recorded a low of minus 9.0°C against minus 5.0°C on the previous night, he said.
The temperature was 2.3°C below normal for this time of the year in the famous resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
Kupwara town in north Kashmir, which received 0.2mm of rain, recorded a low of 1.7°C against 0.7°C on the previous night, the official said.
While the ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day long harshest period of winter ended on January 30, Kashmir is under the grip of the 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ which would be followed by 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’.
Jammu recorded a low of 8.7°C against previous night’s 10.5°C, the official said. The temperature was 0.8°C below normal for the J&K’s winter capital during this time of the year, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of minus 1.0°C, Batote had a minimum of 1.1°C while Bhaderwah recorded a low of minus 0.1 °C, the official said.
Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 10.1°C against last night’s minus 11.0°C while mercury at automatic station in Kargil settled at minus 14.0°C. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 14.4°C against last night’s minus 10.9°C, official said.