Drass at -18.4 as Ladakh, Kashmir freezes over

Srinagar, Dec 7 (FN Agency) Kashmir and Ladakh are in the grip of a cold wave following snowfall in the mountains over the past few days and subsequent clear sky. Drass in Ladakh on Tuesday recorded a minimum of minus 18.4 degrees Celsius, the lowest so far this season, the MeT office said. Leh was at minus 12.1 and Kargil minus 9.6 degrees Celsius recorded at Air Force Stations of the union territory. After a slight improvement in cold conditions in Kashmir on Monday, night temperatures again plunged across the valley on Tuesday. The Ski resort of Gulmarg experienced second consecutive night at minus 7 degrees Celsius, the Meteorological Department said.

In Srinagar, although the weather improved with clear sky and sun appearing during the day, the minimum temperature again dipped to minus 1.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday against the 2.6 degrees Celsius recorded a day ago. Qazigund on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway recorded a minimum of minus 0.2 degree Celsius against the 3.2 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag was at minus 1.2 degrees Celsius against 1.9 degrees Celsius recorded on Monday. Similarly, the night temperature in tourist resort of Pahalgam plunged to minus 4.8 degrees Celsius as against 0.6 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature in the frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara was recorded at minus 1.2 degrees Celsius against 1 degree Celsius the previous day, the MET office said.