Mercury took a dip in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Wednesday, with frosty mornings and sub-zero temperatures, weather forecaster said.
“The chill only made me reluctant to leave my bed today morning,” said 27-year-old Graphic Designer Mansha Ameen.While fog enveloped Srinagar during early hours, snow-clad mountains encompassing the valley were radiant.
As per an independent weather forecaster, south Kashmir’s Shopian recorded -4.6°C, closely followed by Pahalgam (-4.4°C) and Larnoo (-3.9°C), also in south Kashmir.
The famous hill station of Gulmarg recorded -2.6°C. Srinagar experienced a freezing -0.6°C, while Kokernag had the highest minimum temperature in the valley at 0.4°C.
Moving south of the union territory, Jammu region witnessed mixed temperatures.
Padder recorded the region’s lowest temperature at -5.8°C, while Ramban stood out as the warmest at a comfortable 11.8°C. Jammu city itself dipped to 10.1°C.
However, the mountain towns like Batote (5.6°C) and Bhaderwah (1.6°C) hinted at the region’s gradual transition into peak winter.
The coldest temperatures of the day were recorded in Ladakh, a separate union territory, where Drass, often hailed as the second-coldest inhabited place on Earth, plunged to a spine-numbing -11.2°C. Leh and Kargil weren’t far behind, registering -8.6°C and -6.8°C, respectively.
As the season progresses, and the 40-days of harsh winters locally called ‘Chillai Kalan’ approaching, the cold is expected to intensify, especially in Ladakh and Kashmir, while the Jammu plains may continue to offer some relief.
