Kashmir continues to struggle with cold wave

After recent significant snowfall, the minimum temperatures at tourist destinations continue to slip.

The Meteorological Centre at Srinagar said the Sonamarg tourist resort in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district registered the night temperature at -13.1 °C.

The MeT said the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of -12°C. Pahalgam registered a low of -11.9°C, against the -10.8°C recorded a day ago. It was 4.9°C below normal for the valley of shepherds in south Kashmir.

The MeT office said Srinagar recorded a low of -5.2°C against -2.0°C Wednesday night. It was -4.8°C below normal for the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir during this period of the season.

The other stations of the valley, including Larnoo, recorded a low of -9.9°C, Shopian -8.0°C, Kulgam -6.0°C, Pulwama -5.8°C, and Anantnag -5.2°C, the Kashmir weather forecaster said.

The minimum temperature at Qazigund on Srinagar-Jammu National High plunged to a low of 6.4°C against the -3.2°C a day ago, and Kokernag recorded a minimum of -4.5°C against the -4.3°C the previous night.

Kupwara plunged to a low of -5.4°C against the -3.3°C recorded the previous night. It was 3.4°C below normal for the frontier Kashmir district of north Kashmir, the MeT office said.

The MeT office said the weather will remain dry until February 17, with occasionally cloudy evenings on February 14. It said there is a possibility of snow and rain during February 18–20.

It has also issued an advisory for travellers in view of significant snow accumulation and sub-freezing temperatures in many hilly areas to follow the traffic police advisory issued by the administration.