A day after Kashmir witnessed widespread snowfall, the mercury plummeted in the Valley, setting new records in some areas.
The meteorological center in Srinagar reported that Sonamarg tourist resort in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district recorded a bone-chilling -15.1 °C, the lowest temperature among all the weather monitoring stations. However, independent weather spotter Faizan Arif indicated that Larnoo in south Kashmir’s Anantnag claimed the title of the coldest at -17.7°C.
The ski resort of Gulmarg, experiencing intermittent snowfall since Monday, saw a minimum temperature of -12°C. Pahalgam broke a four-year record with a low of -11.9°C. MeT data revealed that on February 2, 2020, Pahalgam had recorded -12.6°C.
Meteorologist Mohammad Hussain Mir remarked, “It was a cold night with temperatures going several degrees below normal in most places. The mercury went 4.4 notches below normal in Gulmarg and 5.8 notches below normal in Pahalgam.”
Qazigund, the gateway to Kashmir in South Kashmir, recorded a minimum of -9.4°C, a departure of 7.3 degrees from normal. Kokernag in south Kashmir also recorded a low of -9.4°C.
“Qazigund records its lowest temperature in 16 years. The previous record was -12.2°C on February 13, 2008,” highlighted Faizan Arif, the valley’s prominent weather forecaster.
MeT data revealed that Qazigund had recorded its lowest temperature of -16.7°C on February 3, 1967.
The MeT predicts generally dry weather on Friday with a possibility of light snow at isolated higher reaches. Meteorologist M Hussain Mir mentioned that minimum temperatures will improve as another western disturbance is approaching J&K from February 3. “There is a possibility of light to moderate snow and rain at many places of J&K on Saturday and Sunday. Then the weather will improve for a week with dry conditions,” he added.
