Srinagar, Jan 6: Cold wave conditions continued across the Kashmir Valley even though summer capital Srinagar had a slight respite with temperatures increasing by 0.8 degrees Celsius, Meteorological department officials said today.
According to the MeT office, the minimum temperature in Srinagar was -4.6 degrees Celsius, up from yesterday’s -5.4 degrees Celsius, which was the season’s coldest.
Leh town in frontier region of Ladakh was the coldest place in the state with a low of minus 18.0 degrees Celsius, about two notches down from yesterday’s minus 16.2 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said, adding the nearby Kargil town followed closely with a minimum temperature of minus 17.4 degrees Celsius.
It is learnt that the famous skiing resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the coldest place in the Valley with a low of -9.0 degrees Celsius.
The tourist resort of Pahalgam, which also serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of -8.0 degrees Celsius, about three degrees lower from yesterday’s -5.4 degrees Celsius, he said.
Qazigund, in south Kashmir recorded a low of -5.8 degrees Celsius, while the night temperature in Kokernag was -4.0 degrees Celsius.
North Kashmir’s Kupwara reported a minimum of -5.2 degrees Celsius.
 The MeT department said that dry cold conditions would persist for a few more days and could lead to a further dip in the minimum temperatures.
 With temperatures remaining below freezing point, the fringes of the famous Dal Lake and other water bodies in Srinagar continued to form a thin layer of ice in the night hours.

DRASS RECORDS -27 DEGREE CELSIUS
 Meanwhile, Last night witnessed season’s coldest temperature Kargil where the mercury dipped to -19 degree Celsius and Drass the second coldest inhabited place in the world recorded minimum temperature of -27 degree Celsius.
 According to sources the villagers of Prandrass today staged a protest at SDM office Drass demanding immediate snow clearance of Drass-Prandrass road. In the meantime due to the dipping temperature the water level in the Suru River is decreasing leading to decrease in the power generation at Chutuk Hydel Project and consequent unscheduled power cuts.
(WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)

Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 7 Jan 2013 00:00:00 IST