Cold wave further tightened its grip over Kashmir Wednesday, with the temperatures slipping several degrees below the freezing point, officials said.
Srinagar, which saw its coldest night in 11 years on Monday, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6.7 degree Celsius, while Qazigund, the gateway town to the Valley, recorded minus 5.9 degree Celsius, a meteorological department official said.
The cold wave has resulted in freezing of some water bodies, including the fringes of famous Dal Lake in Srinagar and water supply pipes in several residential areas in the summer capital and elsewhere.
The minimum temperature in northern Kupwara district was 6.4 degree Celsius, while it was minus 7.9 degree Celsius in the tourist resort of Pahalgam in southern Kashmir.
The ski-resort of Gulmarg in northern Kashmir was the coldest place in the Valley at minus 9.4 degree Celsius, the official said.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chilai-Kalan’, the 40-day-long harshest winter period when the chances of snowfall are maximum and the temperatures drop considerably.
‘Chilai-Kalan’ ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that. It is followed by a 20-day-long ‘Chilai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Jammu highway—the only road surface link of Kashmir with rest of the world—remained open for one-way traffic.
However, the Ladakh region continues to remain cut off from the Valley due to suspension of traffic on the Srinagar-Leh highway following accumulation of snow on the thoroughfare.
The historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian district in southern Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch districts in Jammu region, also remained closed due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions.
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Cold wave conditions intensified in Jammu region Wednesday as the minimum temperature in the city plummeted to the season’s lowest.
Banihal, popularly known as the City of Mountains, shivered at minus 3.0 degree Celsius, a Met department official said.
The night temperature in Jammu city was recorded at 3.5 degree Celsius, a decrease of half point from a day before, the official said.
Banihal and Batote areas along the Jammu-Srinagar highway and Bhaderwah in Doda district reeled under sub-zero temperatures.
Bhaderwah recorded a minimum of minus 2.1 degree Celsius and Batote chilled at minus 1.3 degree Celsius, the official said.
A cold wave is sweeping through the region for the past a few days.
The morning sun provided some relief to people in Jammu city on Tuesday as the temperature increased to 19.2 degree Celsius, which was 1.2 degree Celsius below the normal.
Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi Shrine, in Reasi district recorded a minimum of 4.2 degree Celsius against the previous night’s 5.0 degree Celsius, the meteorological department official said.