Cold wave intensifies in Gulmarg, Pahalgam, relief from harsh winter in rest of Valley

Cold wave intensifies in Gulmarg and Pahalgam, Kashmir, with temperatures plunging below freezing, while rest of Valley sees relief.

Cold wave conditions intensified in Gulmarg and Pahalgam in Kashmir where mercury plunged several degrees below the freezing point, even as the rest of the Valley experienced extended relief from the harsh winter, officials said on Monday.

Gulmarg, a tourist resort town known for skiing activities in north Kashmir, recorded a night temperature of minus 10 degree Celsius, down 2 degrees compared to the previous night, the meteorological department said.

Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 9.2 degree Celsius, down from minus 8.5 degrees Celsius the previous night, the weather office said.

In Srinagar, night temperature dipped to minus 0.9 degrees Celsius, little more than a degree above the normal temperature for this time of the year, it said.

Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, logged a minimum temperature of minus 2.8 degree Celsius, while Konibal in Parampore recorded a low of minus 1.4 degree Celsius, the weather office said.

Kupwara in north Kashmir registered a low of 0.1 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.0 degrees Celsius, it said.

Kupwara was the only place in the Valley where the minimum temperature settled above freezing point.