Coldest day & night in Srinagar

A frozen river Jhelum tributary in Srinagar on Saturday. —Excelsior/Shakeel
A frozen river Jhelum tributary in Srinagar on Saturday. —Excelsior/Shakeel

* Watch video on www.excelsiornews.com
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 14: The night temperature across Kashmir and Ladakh regions continued to dip with Srinagar recording season’s coldest night and day of the season.
The mercury in Srinagar settled at a low of minus 6.8 degree Celsius, down from the previous night’s minus 6.3 degree Celsius.
The night temperature in the city was the season’s lowest as the previous low it had recorded was minus 6.5 degree Celsius on December 21.
The night temperature was five degrees below normal for this part of the season and it was the coldest January night in the city during the last five years. In 2012, Srinagar had recorded a low of minus 7.8 degree Celsius.
The cold wave conditions in the city and elsewhere last night led to freezing of water supply lines and various water bodies, including the fringes of the famous Dal lake here.
Gulmarg also recorded the season’s lowest night temperature as the mercury settled there at a low of minus 14.4 degree Celsius, down from minus 13.6 degree Celsius of the previous night. The resort was the coldest place in the Valley and it was the lowest night temperature there in the month of January since 2012.  In 2012, Gulmarg recorded the lowest night temperature on January 13 when the mercury settled at minus 16.5 degree Celsius.
The mercury in Pahalgam in South Kashmir went slightly up from the previous night’s minus 12.4 degree Celsius and settled at the low of minus 12.0 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature at the resort was still a three-year low in January.
Kokernag in South Kashmir registered a low of minus 8.3 degree Celsius. Kupwara town in North Kashmir recorded a low of minus 7.8 degree Celsius, a degree down from the previous night’s minus 6.8 degree Celsius.
The lowest night temperature of the season recorded in Kupwara and the town experienced the coldest January night during the last six years.
The mercury in Qazigund town in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 8.8 degree Celsius, nearly two degree down from the yesterday’s minus 7.0 degree Celsius. It was the coldest night of the season in the town and was the lowest night temperature there in the month of January during the last three years.
Leh was the coldest recorded place in the State as the mercury there settled at a low of minus 17.0 degree Celsius, down three degree from yesterday’s minus 14.0 degrees Celsius.
Kargil registered a low of minus 15.6 degree Celsius which is the season’s lowest there.
Jammu recorded a minimum of 3.6 degree Celsius, Katra 4.8 degree Celsius, Banihal minus 2.8 degree Celsius, Batote 0.5 degree Celsius and Bhaderwah minus 4.5 degree Celsius.
Srinagar recorded a maximum of 2.1 degree Celsius, Qazigund  2.8 degree Celsius, Pahalgam 1.5 degree Celsius, Kokernag 1.3 degree Celsius, Kupwara 2.5 degree Celsius, Gulmarg minus 4.4 degree Celsius, Leh minus 3.6 degree Celsius and Kargil minus 3.6 degree Celsius.
Jammu recorded a maximum of 15.4 degree Celsius, Katra 12.7 degree Celsius, Banihal 6.8 degree Celsius, Batote 8.0 degree Celsius and Bhaderwah 8.6 degree Celsius.
A Meteorological Department official forecast another spell of wet weather from today. “There is possibility of isolated rainfall or snowfall today, after which we expect scattered to fairly-widespread rains or snow over the next four days,” the official added.