Srinagar, Nov 24: The summer capital recorded its coldest night of the season as temperatures plunged to minus 3.2°C, the Meteorological Department said on Monday.
According to the data, cold conditions intensified across the Valley, with Pahalgam dipping to -4.0°C and Gulmarg settling at -1.9°C.
South Kashmir witnessed an even sharper drop as Pulwama recorded -5.0°C and Shopian touched -5.1°C, emerging among the coldest places in the region. Higher reaches such as Zojila remained deeply frozen at -16.0°C.
Temperatures in North and Central Kashmir also stayed well below freezing. Kupwara recorded -3.2°C, Budgam -3.4°C, while Baramulla saw a steep fall to -4.6°C. Awantipora and Sonamarg registered -3.2°C each, and Pampore slipped to -4.5°C. The Srinagar Airport area also experienced harsh cold at -3.6°C.
In the Jammu region, the plains recorded relatively higher temperatures, with Jammu city at 10.0°C and Katra and Kathua settling at 9.2°C. In contrast, upper reaches remained cold, with Banihal at -1.2°C, Bhaderwah at 0.5°C, and Rajouri at 3.3°C.
Ladakh continued to face severe wintry conditions. Leh recorded -8.2°C, Kargil -8.6°C, Drass -10.3°C, and Nyoma -11.8°C. Nubra and Padum also remained frozen at -6.6°C and -9.3°C respectively.
The MeT department has predicted mostly dry weather in the coming days, with sub-zero night temperatures expected to continue. Partly cloudy conditions on December 2 and 3 may bring a slight rise in nighttime temperatures but no major change in the overall cold spell.
Kashmir has been witnessing a steady fall in temperatures as it approaches the 40-day harsh winter period of Chilla-i-Kalan beginning December 21.
