Excelsior Correspondent
-Excelsior/Tilak Raj
JAMMU, Dec 14: Mercury dipped by several notches in Jammu and Kashmir with Leh in frontier region of Ladakh recording the lowest temperature of -4.7 degree Celsius.
Bone chilling cold and icy winds left Jammuites shivering and most of the people preferred to stay indoors using electronic gadgets to keep their body warm.
The hilly areas in the Jammu region also witnessed decrease in the day and night temperature due to snowfall on upper reaches.
The entire Chenab valley is under the grip of severe cold waves due to snowfall in the upper reaches of Doda, Kishtwar, Gandoh, Padder and Bhaderwah.
In Padder area of district Kishtwar is witnessing continuous snowfall for the past 24 hours while as Gandoh area of district Kishtwar also witnessed light snowfall, which forced the people to remain indoors. Kansar village in tehsil Bhaderwah also witnessed snowfall.
However, the plain areas in the mountainous Doda and Kishtwar districts witnessed rainfall and dense fog.
In district Ramban, the hilly areas witnessed snowfall, which resulted into cold waves in plains. Due to intense cold waves, the people remained indoor and the markets also witnessed less footfall.
In Poonch and Rajouri districts, cold waves gripped the plain areas due to cloudy weather.
According to MeT Department, Jammu recorded a maximum temperature of 17.3 degrees Celsius, which is below 4 degree Celsius below normal temperature of 21.5 degrees Celsius.
He added that Jammu registered a minimum temperature of 10.1 degree Celsius, which was some notch below from yesterday’s temperature.
The MeT Department said the spell of intense cold would continue for next few days as there were no chances of immediate rain.
Meanwhile, in Srinagar, where polling in eight Assembly segments was held today, experienced a much colder day today as the maximum temperature fell by over three degrees and the minimum went below the freezing point after a brief respite.
The city recorded a maximum temperature of 8.9 degrees Celsius today, a drop of over three degrees from yesterday’s 12 degrees Celsius, a spokesman of the Met Department here said.
He said the city registered a minimum temperature of minus 1.2 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night’s 0.5 degrees Celsius.
Srinagar had experienced a slight respite from cold yesterday after experiencing sub-zero nights for the past few weeks.
Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir valley, recorded a low of minus 0.3 degrees Celsius as against minus 2.4 degrees Celsius the previous night, he said.
The south Kashmir town of Kokernag registered a low of 0.8 degrees Celsius compared to the previous night’s minus 0.2 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.
He said the mercury in the tourist resort of Pahalgam which serves as a base camp during the annual Amarnath yatra increased from the previous night’s minus 3 degrees Celsius to settle at minus 0.8 degree Celsius.
The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg, in north Kashmir, recorded a drop of one degree in the minimum temperature to settle at a low minus 4 degrees Celsius, he said.
The spokesman said Kupwara town in north Kashmir registered a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius.
He said the mercury in Leh, in the frontier Ladakh region, increased by over four degrees to record a low of minus 4.7 degrees, while the nearby Kargil town recorded a low of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius as against minus 10.2 degrees Celsius the previous night.
However, Leh received 5 cms of snow with the result the minimum temperature witnessed considerable increase because of cloudy sky. But the maximum temperature dropped, he said.
He said against yesterday’s minimum temperature of minus 9.4 degree, it was minus 4.7 degree. The coldest so far was recorded on December 11 when the mercury dropped to minus 14.4 degree.
Kargil, a border town on Srinagar-Leh National Highway, closed for traffic till further orders early this week, also recorded improvement in the night temperature. He said the minimum temperature was minus 7.2 degree against yesterdays minus 10.2 degree.
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