The winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir woke up to a chilly Wednesday as the night temperature plummeted by over two notches, settling at season’s low of 4.8 degrees Celsius, the meteorological department said.
Jammu’s minimum temperature was 4.1 degrees below normal for this time of the year and the city witnessed moderate fog in the morning as the sun remained behind cloud cover for the second consecutive day.
The mercury is on downward spiral across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh over the past couple of days following heavy snowfall in the high altitude areas and Kashmir last week.
Srinagar is reeling under a low of minus 3.7 degrees Celsius — 2.2 degrees below the season’s average. The famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the coldest recorded place in the Valley with a low of minus 11.5 degrees Celsius, an official said.
He said Pahalgam in south Kashmir was freezing at minus 10.3 degrees Celsius.
Leh in Ladakh was the coldest recorded place in the two Union Territories with a low of minus 17.9 degrees Celsius, down by almost six notches from the previous night’s minus 12 degrees Celsius.
In Jammu region, Bhaderwah town of Doda district, which experienced heavy snowfall on Friday, was the coldest recorded place with a minimum of minus 3.2 degrees Celsius followed by Banihal town along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway at minus 0.6 degrees Celsus.
Katra in Reasi district, which serves as the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine, also recorded the coldest night of the season at 4.6 degrees Celsius.