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REGIONAL

Amid light snowfall in upper reaches, mercury drops in Kashmir

By News Desk

February 08, 2022

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 told GNS 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.

The weatherman has forecast “erratic weather” with occasional snowfall at scattered places till February 8. (GNS)