Cold Wave In Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir Intensifies After Snowfall

Cold wave intensified in Ladakh while parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including the famous hill resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam reeled under sub-zero temperatures after the recent snowfall, the weather office said on Saturday.

At minus 9.2 degrees Celsius, Kargil was the coldest place in Ladakh followed by Leh, which recorded a minus 8.7 degrees Celsius, a weather official said. 

The famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, a star attraction for tourists visiting the valley during winter, also marked a dip in the night temperature which settled at minus 7.2 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest recorded place in Kashmir.

The hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir also recorded minus 5.0 degrees Celsius, weather offcials said, adding that Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded minus 1.8 degrees Celsius.

Srinagar saw an increase in temperature with maximum and minimum temperatures settling at 10.6 and 2.7 degrees Celsius, respectively. While the day temperature is 1.5 degrees below the season's average, the night temperature continued to stay 3.6 degrees above normal during this part of the season. 

The maximum temperature in Jammu registered an increase of almost two degrees settling at 24.3 degrees Celsius, he said.

However, the night temperature in the city marked a dip and settled at 9.7 degrees Celsius against the previous night''s 12.3 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.

Katra, the famous town which serves as the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi shrine, recorded a high of 20.1 degrees Celsius and a low of 8.7 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.