As Kashmir continues to reel under a severe cold wave, summer capital Srinagar recorded minus 7.8 degrees Celsius last night, making it the coldest temperature recorded in the last eight years.
As per MeT data, temperature in Srinagar had earlier plummeted to minus 7.8 degrees in January 2012.
The summer capital had last month recorded a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius but sharp decrease in temperature now has not just equated previous record-low but caused huge inconvenience to people.
Water bodies including Dal Lake have frozen due to the extremely low temperatures. Commuters had a tough time as roads remained slippery due to frost till late afternoon. After bone chilling cold during the night, sunshine greeted people on Wednesday as Srinagar recorded 6.1 degrees Celsius maximum temperature.
The ski-resort Gulmarg in Baramulla recorded minus 10 degrees last night. However, as per MeT data, Pahalgam in south Kashmir which recorded minus 11.7 degrees was the coldest recorded station in the Valley.
Ladakh also continues to reel under extreme sub-zero temperatures as Leh recorded minus 14.1 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night.
Weather to “remain mainly dry, cold” till Jan 20:
The Meteorological Department has said that weather will continue to be “mainly cold and dry” till January 20. Deputy Director MeT, Mukhtar Ahmad, said as of now there was “no possibility of any wet weather” till January 20 adding that “in a day or two we will get to know in case there is any approaching inclement weather for next one week.”
Ahmad said there was “nothing new” in the fall of temperatures during the ongoing 40-day harshest winter period of Chillai Kalan. “We have seen similar sub-zero temperatures in the past as well. On January 5, 15 and 20 in 1991 temperature in Srinagar had been recorded at minus 10.8 degrees, minus 10.7 degrees and minus 11.8 degrees Celsius respectively,” Ahmad said. He said the all-time lowest temperature in Srinagar during January is minus 12.8 degrees recorded in 1934. “There have been other times when we have recorded temperatures as low as minus 6 and minus 7, so there is nothing unusual about it,” Ahmad said. He said with “open and clear sky” night temperatures till January 20 were likely to remain “in the range of minus 5 degrees to minus 7 degrees Celsius.”