With clear skies, night temperatures drop again in Kashmir

By: Musaib Iqbal MK

Srinagar

With sunshine and clear skies back, most parts of Kashmir witnessed minus temperatures during the previous night. Earlier the weatherman had predicted erratic weather conditions in Kashmir valley but the sunshine and clear skies are back.

Due to the clear skies, minus temperatures have been recorded in most parts of Kashmir except Srinagar and Kokernag on Tuesday, weather department officials said.

A meteorological department official here told GNS that Srinagar, the summer capital of the J&K, recorded a low of 0.8°C against last night’s 1.4°C. The temperature was below 0.2°C than the normal for this time of the year, he said.

Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.0°C against 0.0°C on the previous night, he said.

Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, had a low of 0.2°C against 0.6°C on the previous night, the official said.

Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 4.2°C against minus 3.4°C last night, he said.

Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 6.8°C against minus 4.0°C on the previous night, he said.

The temperature was 1.0°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 recorded a low of minus 0.2°C against 0.5°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 9.1°C against previous night’s 9.3°C, the official said. The temperature was 1.4°C below normal for the J&K’s winter capital during this time of the year, he said.

Banihal recorded a low of 0.2°C, Batote 2.7°C and Bhaderwah 1.5°C, the official said.

Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 10.4°C against last night minus 11.5°C while mercury at automatic station in Kargil settled at minus 14°C. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 12.0°C against minus 18.0°C on the previous night, official said.

Weather is likely to remain erratic (generally cloudy and sunshine at times) during 15 to 21st with a possibility of brief spell of light rain and snow (over higher reaches) at scattered places of J&K during February 15 (night) to 16th and February 18-19th,” the official said. “There’s no forecast of any major rain and snow for the next 10 days,” he added.

With GNS inputs