J&K: Pahalgam, Gulmarg reel under sub-zero temperatures

Srinagar, Dec 3 (PTI) Popular tourist resorts of Pahalgam and Gulmarg continued to reel under sub-zero temperatures on Sunday even as rest of Kashmir witnessed warmer than usual night, the weather department said.

Gulmarg skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded a low of minus 3.6 degrees Celsius and was the coldest place in the valley, the meteorological department added.

Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra, saw the mercury settling at minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, the MeT office said.

Elsewhere in the valley, the minimum temperature stayed above the freezing point owing to a cloud cover even as the weather is expected to remain dry over the next week.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, was 1.4 degrees Celsius, a dip of over three notches from 4.8 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night, MeT officials said.

Qazigund recorded a low of 1.2 degrees Celsius, down from 3.4 degrees Celsius observed the previous night, they said.

Kokernag town in south Kashmir registered a minimum of 2.6 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara, in the north, recorded a low of 1.2 degrees Celsius.

The three-week dry spell in Kashmir ended on Thursday with snowfall in the middle and higher reaches of the valley and rains in the plains. The intermittent snowfall continued at some places such as Sonamarg in central Kashmir on Friday morning as well.

The Met office said the weather would remain mainly dry till December 10.