Kargil freezes at minus 14 degrees; snowfall in Pahalgam

Light snowfall was recorded in the famous tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir and areas in the higher reaches, including places near Amarnath cave shrine overnight while other parts of the Valley witnessed a drop in minimum temperature.

Kargil town was the coldest recorded place in the state with a low of minus 14 degrees Celsius, Met Department said, adding that the Valley may witness a wet weather over two days next week.

Pahalgam recorded fresh snowfall of 1.4 cm during the night, a Meteorological Department official said.

He said there were reports of light snowfall in some of the higher reaches of the Valley including in the areas near Amarnath cave shrine.

The mercury in Pahalgam, which serves as the base camp during annual Amarnath yatra, went down by nearly seven notches from a low of minus 0.3 degree Celsius previous night to settle at minus 7.1 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature dropped by two notches in the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg which recorded a low of minus 10.3 degrees Celsius.

There was no record of fresh snowfall in the resort, the official said.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, registered the minimum temperature of 1.7 degrees Celsius compared to 1.8 degrees Celsius previous night.

The official added the mercury continued to stay above the freezing point in the city for the sixth consecutive night.

Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir Valley, remained at 1.6 degrees Celsius while the mercury in Kokernag settled at minus 0.1 degree Celsius compared to 0.6 degree Celsius the previous night, he said.

Kupwara, in north Kashmir, minimum temperature dropped by 1.5 degrees Celsius from zero degree Celsius while mercury in Leh town, in the cold desert of Ladakh, plunged by over eight degrees to settle at minus 13.5 degrees Celsius, he said.

The town had registered a low of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius the previous night.

The nearby Kargil town was the coldest recorded place in the state with a low of minus 14 degrees Celsius, 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 there is possibility of light rains or snowfall in the Valley over two days from January 12.