Srinagar: The freezing weather conditions prevailing in the Kashmir show no signs of abating as mercury plunged to minus 6.7 degree Celsius in this summer capital of the state last night, a metereological department official said on Wednesday.
The official said that last night’s temperature in Srinagar was just a notch below from Monday’s minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, the coldest December night in 11-years.
The all-time low recorded in the month of December in Srinagar was minus 12.8 degrees Celsius on December 13, 1934.
The cold wave resulted in freezing of some water bodies, including the fringes of the famous Dal Lake here, and residential water supply pipes.
The official said Qazigund the gateway town to the Valley recorded a low of minus 5.9 degrees Celsius, while the nearby Kokernag registered a low of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius.
The night temperature in Pahalgam, also in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 7.9 degrees Celsius, the official told INS.
The ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded the minimum temperature of minus 9.4 degrees Celsius and was coldest place in the Valley, he said.
Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 6.4 degrees Celsius down from minus 5.2 degrees Celsius on previous night, he said.
The official said Leh recorded a low of minus 17.1 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night down from minus 14.7 degrees Celsius. Kargil recorded minus 14.4 while Drass continued to endure arctic conditions, recording a low of minus 21.1 degrees Celsius.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ the 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.
‘Chillai-Kalan’ ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir.
The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
