Srinagar, Dec 2: Sub-zero temperatures blanket Gulmarg and Pahalgam resorts, marking the onset of chilly nights in Kashmir, as per the Meteorological department (MeT) report on Saturday.
While the night temperatures witnessed a slight rise across most parts of the valley, the mercury dipped below freezing only in Gulmarg and Pahalgam. Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of 4.8 degrees Celsius, a marginal increase from the previous day’s 4.5 °C.
Gulmarg, the renowned ski resort in north Kashmir, claimed the title of the coldest place in the region, with the mercury settling at a chilly minus 3 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, Pahalgam in the southern part of the valley recorded a low of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius.
Other temperature readings include Kupwara in north Kashmir at 2.3 degrees Celsius, Qazigund in south Kashmir at minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, and Kokernag at 2.2 degrees Celsius.
The Meteorological department has forecast dry weather in Jammu and Kashmir until November 9. It anticipates partly cloudy conditions from December 2 to 7, with a possibility of generally cloudy weather from December 8 to 10. Moreover, a decrease in minimum temperatures by 3-5°C is expected from December 2 onwards.
In a separate development, snow accumulation on the higher reaches led to the closure of traffic on the Mughal road, connecting Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu division with Shopian in Kashmir. However, the Jammu-Srinagar national highway experienced normal traffic flow on Saturday.
