Srinagar, Nov 20: Srinagar and several other areas in Kashmir experienced the coldest night of the season on Wednesday, with temperatures plummeting below the freezing point across most of the Valley.
The Meteorological Department officials said that Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.7 degrees Celsius, marking the city’s first sub-zero night this autumn.
They said that Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, registered a chilling low of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam health resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district emerged as the coldest place in Kashmir, with the mercury plunging to a bone-chilling minus 3.7 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam has now transitioned into a winter-like chill.
Gulmarg ski resort in Baramulla district, recorded a minimum of minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara in north Kashmir experienced a low of minus 0.8 degrees Celsius.
In contrast, Kokernag in Anantnag district was the only place where temperatures stayed above freezing, recording a low of 1.2 degrees Celsius.
The sudden dip in temperatures comes against the backdrop of an unusually back-to-back dry spell this autumn.
Kashmir has witnessed minimal precipitation over the past two months, with October and November being particularly almost dry.
This prolonged dry weather, coupled with clear skies at night, has accelerated the temperature drop, leaving Kashmir in the grip of frost earlier than expected.
This year’s weather has been erratic, with the summer marked by unusual heatwaves.
Temperatures soared to record highs during July and August, stressing Kashmir’s water resources and impacting agriculture.
The dry conditions persisted into the autumn, depriving Kashmir of its usual spells of moderate rain and snow that help ease the transition into winter.
The MeT has predicted that the dry spell would continue until November 23.
However, there is a possibility of a change in weather conditions on November 24, with forecasts of cloudy skies and light rain or snow in the higher reaches of Kashmir.
