Srinagar, Jan 2 (UNI) Freezing cold weather conditions persisted as temperatures dropped significantly at most stations across the Kashmir valley on Tuesday.
With a clear and open sky during the night, parts of the iconic Dal Lake were frozen due to the impact of the freezing temperature in Srinagar.
Although the minimum temperature improved by a few notches in Srinagar and was recorded at -4.8°C on Tuesday against -5.2°C recorded the previous night, a thick layer of icy surface was seen emerging at most places in the Dal Lake.
The maximum temperature was 4.1°C above the normal of 6.9°C, against 11.0°C in Srinagar the previous day amid bright sun appearing during the day. The other stations in the valley also witnessed above-normal day temperatures of 4-5°C.
The Meteorological Centre Srinagar said that the minimum temperature plummeted at Pahalgam and remained the coldest place, with -6.2°C against the -5.7°C recorded the previous night. It was, however, 0.8°C above normal for the tourist hot spot of south Kashmir.
Qazigund on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway recorded a further all-night low of -4.4°C against the -3.6°C recorded the previous night, while Kokernag slipped down to a low of -2.7°C against 1.7°C recorded a day ago.
The mercury at Gulmarg dipped to -4.0°C on Tuesday against the -3.4°C recorded the previous night. It was still 3.0°C above normal for the famous ski resort of North Kashmir.
Kupwara plunged by a notch and recorded at -4.6°C against the -4.5°C recorded a day ago. It was 2.1°C below normal for the north Kashmir district, the MeT office said.
The weather is likely to remain mainly dry until January 3, 2024. The MeT office said that from January 4–5, it will be generally cloudy with dry weather over plains and the possibility of very light snow over isolated, extreme higher reaches.
From January 6–7, the weather will mainly be dry with no significant activity, it said.
