Shivering cold conditions continued unabated in J&K and Ladakh as Srinagar recorded minus 6.0°C for the second consecutive night on Sunday, officials said.
An official todl GNS that it remained the lowest temperature of the season so far and was minus 4.5°C below normal for this time of the year.
The mercury has fallen considerably before the onset of the Chillai-e-Kalan, the 40-day long chilliest part of the season, starting on December 21. In last ten years, it has been few occasions when the mercury fell to minus 6.0°C or above in Srinagar, officials said.
On 19 December 2020, the mercury had plummeted to minus 6.6°C while as lowest in month of December was recorded on the 30th day of the month in 2019 at 6.6°C. In last ten years, the lowest was recorded on 25 December 2017 when mercury plunged to minus 7.7°C.
The lowest ever temperature in December was recorded on the 13th of 1934 when mercury fell to minus 12.8°C.
Meanwhile, the mercury in the world famous resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district settled at minus 7.5 °C, up by 1.0°C the previous night, the official said.
Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, had a low of minus 6.5°C against minus 6.0°C on the previous night, he said.
Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 8.7°C against minus 8.3°C on previous night.
Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 6.0°C against minus 5.1°C on previous night, the official said.
Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a minimum of minus 6.1°C against minus 6.1°C on the previous night, the official said.
Jammu, the J&K’s winter capital, saw a low of 2.8°C which is minus 6.1°C below normal, he said.
Ladakh’s Leh had a low of minus 16.0°C against last night’s minus 15.3°C while automatic Kargil station recorded minimum of minus 14.5°C. Drass in Kargil, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 20.7°C, the official said.
“Mostly dry and cold weather is likely to continue till December 22 forenoon in both J&K and Ladakh,” the official said, adding, “There’s a modification in early forecast of snowfall. Now, there’s no forecast of any major snowfall in both J&K and Ladakh.”
However, he said, light to moderate snowfall is expected at many places of J&K and at scattered places of Ladakh especially along Sonmarg-Drass, Parkachik-Padum axis during evening of December 22 to 25. He said that due to mainly clear sky, night temperature Is most likely to fall further during next three days.
“Thereafter, due to the approaching Western Disturbance, we expect gradual fall in day temperature and slight rise in night temperature from December 21 to 26.”