Srinagar: Mercury stayed above the freezing point across Kashmir, barring Gulmarg and Pahalgam towns, while the weather is expected to remain mainly dry for the next few days.
Pahalgam witnessed light rainfall during the night and the mercury there settled at minus 3.5 degrees Celsius against the previous night’s zero degrees Celsius, an official of the Meteorological Department said.
He said the mercury in the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir also dropped from the previous night’s low of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius to settle at minus 8.0 degrees Celsius.
The official said the two tourist resorts were the only recorded places in the Valley where the mercury was below the freezing point.
At all the other places in the Valley, the minimum temperature stayed above zero degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said the mercury in Srinagar increased by over two notches to settle at a low of 2.9 degrees Celsius.
The city had recorded the minimum of 0.8 degree Celsius the previous night.
The official said the mercury also increased in the towns of Qazigund, Kupwara and Kokernag as they registered the low of 3.2 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degree Celsius and 2.4 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Kokernag town also recorded light rains, the official said.
Leh, in the frontier region of Ladakh, recorded a low of minus 9.3 degrees Celsius, a decrease of four degrees from the previous night’s minus 5.2 degrees Celsius.
The nearby Kargil town also registered a decrease of over four notches in the minimum temperature which settled at minus 10.0 degrees Celsius compared to minus 5.6 degrees Celsius the previous night, the official said.
Kashmir is in the midst of the 40-day-long harshest phase of winter, which began on December 21 and will continue till the end of this month.
Known as Chilai-Kalan in local parlance, the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum during this period.
The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai Bachha’ (baby cold).
The MET Office has said the weather would remain mostly dry over the week ahead.
However, there is slight possibility of isolated rainfall or snowfall on Friday.
PTI
