Srinagar/Jammu:
The fringes of the Dal Lake and other water bodies in Kashmir froze as the Valley continued to reel under cold-wave conditions on Saturday, with the minimum temperature settling several degrees below the freezing point, the meteorological department said.
Cold conditions also prevailed in the Jammu region, where the minimum temperature plummeted several degrees below normal.
The Met office has forecast light rain or snow in Kashmir over the next 24 hours and said there is possibility of widespread snow from Sunday.
The mercury in Srinagar went down by three degrees from Friday’s low of minus 1.9 degrees Celsius to settle at minus 5.0 degrees Celsius, a Met official said.
The drop in the night temperature led to the freezing of the fringes of Dal Lake and other water bodies as well as water supply lines.
The minimum temperature at Gulmarg in north Kashmir was minus 12.6 degrees Celsius, slightly up from minus 13.0 degrees the previous day. Kupwara registered a minimum of minus 6.3 degree Celsius, the official said.
Pahlagam in south Kashmir saw the minimum temperature rise slightly to minus 11.5 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 7.6 degrees in Qazigund, down from minus 3.4 degrees the previous night.
Kokernag town recorded a low of minus 7.7 degrees Celsius, the official said.
In Ladakh, the minimum temperature in Leh was minus 18.2 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 29.1 degrees at Drass in Kargil district.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ — the 40-day harshest period of winter that began on December 21 and ends on January 31. It is followed by a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
Meanwhile, Jammu recorded a low of 3.9 degrees Celsius — 3.1 notches below the season’s average, an official of the meteorological department said.
Bhaderwah in Doda district was the coldest recorded place in Jammu region with a minimum of minus 4.0 degrees Celsius against the previous night’s minus 5.3 degrees Celsius.
Banihal in Ramban district recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, while Batote town was reeling under minus 0.1 degrees, the official said.
The minimum temperature in Katra town of Reasi district settled at 4.0 degrees Celsius.
The official said another spell of moderate-high intensity snowfall is most likely across Kashmir Valley and upper reaches of Jammu region during Saturday night to Sunday night.
Moderate rain is also expected over in Jammu region, the official said, adding that light-to-moderate snow is also expected over Ladakh during till Monday.
