The higher altitudes of Kashmir witnessed fresh snowfall on Tuesday, with cold wave conditions gripping the valley as minimum temperatures plummeted several degrees below freezing, officials reported.
Tourist hotspots like Sonamarg and several other high-altitude areas recorded light snowfall overnight.
The sharp drop in mercury has caused water supply lines to freeze, while a thin layer of ice has formed on the surfaces of several water bodies.
Kashmir remains in the grip of intense cold, with Srinagar’s maximum temperature on Monday staying more than six degrees below the seasonal average.
The city recorded a high of 2.8 degrees Celsius on Monday, as daytime temperatures across the valley remained significantly below normal levels.
The bone-chilling cold continued through Monday night, with minimum temperatures dipping further below the average.
Srinagar registered a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius on Monday night, three degrees lower than the previous night, according to the meteorological department.
Pahalgam, the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 7.8 degrees Celsius, down from minus 5 degrees Celsius the previous night, officials said.
In Gulmarg, a skiing destination in north Kashmir, the temperature dropped to minus 7.4 degrees Celsius, nearly three degrees lower than Sunday night’s minus 4.8 degrees Celsius, the department added.
Qazigund, the entry point to Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 6.2 degrees Celsius, while Konibal, a hamlet near Pampore, emerged as the coldest spot in the valley at minus 8.5 degrees Celsius, the department noted.
Kupwara in north Kashmir and Kokernag in the south registered minimum temperatures of minus 6.4 degrees Celsius each.
The meteorological department forecasts a further dip of two to three degrees in minimum temperatures over the next few days, continuing through December 26.
Light snowfall is expected in higher altitudes between the afternoon of December 27 and the morning of December 28, the Met Office predicted.
Dry weather is anticipated for December 29 and 30, but light snowfall may occur in isolated higher regions on New Year’s Eve, with scattered snowfall likely from January 1 to 3.
Kashmir is currently amid ‘Chillai-Kalan,’ the harshest phase of winter, which began on December 21.
During these 40 days, snowfall is most frequent and intense, accompanied by significant drops in temperature.
Although Chillai-Kalan ends on January 30, cold conditions persist, followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
