After reeling under a cold wave for the last several weeks, the Valley has witnessed an improvement in temperatures, while the Meteorological Department predicted dry weather for next one week.
For the second consecutive night on Thursday, minimum temperature remained above the freezing point in Srinagar which had recorded 0.4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night. The summer capital recorded 1 degree Celsius temperature on Thursday night.
However, ski-resort Gulmarg continued to freeze at sub-zero temperature and recorded minus 9.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday night. The ski-resort had recorded minus 6.4 degrees a night earlier.
However, in the rest of the Valley an improvement in temperatures has brought a great respite to people who have been suffering due to the frozen supply lines caused by freezing temperatures. Srinagar had recorded a record low of the last 30 years at minus 8.8 degrees Celsius on the night of January 30.
Pahalgam on Thursday night recorded minus 3.6 degrees Celsius while Qazigund recorded minus 0.8 degrees Celsius. Kupwara recorded 0.8 degrees while Kokernag recorded minus 1.3 degrees Celsius on Thursday night, MeT data said. Leh recorded minus 8.5 degrees Celsius while Kargil recorded minus 13.6 degrees Celsius and Drass minus 17.8 as Thursday night’s temperatures, said MeT data.
The Valley recently witnessed the harshest Chilai Kalan in the last 30 years during which low temperatures caused freezing of water bodies including Dal Lake. Heavy snowfall during January 4 and 6 cut off the Valley from the rest of the world for five days after both air and surface traffic were affected.
Director MeT, Sonam Lotus, in the latest forecast issued here said that weather was “likely to remain dry for next one week”. However, Lotus said the minimum temperature was likely to “again witness a decrease by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.”