With clear skies, minimum temperatures drop across Kashmir

The minimum temperatures across Kashmir dropped on Friday owing to clear skies, even as the meteorological office forecast mainly dry and cold weather over the next few days in the valley.

Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.9 degrees Celsius down over three notches from minus 0.8 degrees Celsius the previous night, a meteorological department official said.

The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the coldest recorded place in the valley at minus 12 degrees Celsius a drop of one degree from a day earlier, the official added.

The Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir, which acts as the base camp for the Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 11.8 degrees Celsius, compared to minus 10.6 degrees Celsius the previous night.

The mercury in Qazigund the gateway town to the valley in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 5.5 degrees Celsius down from minus 1.3 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature in Kokernag, in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 4 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara, in the north, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, the official said.

Leh in Union Territory of Ladakh recorded a low of minus 14.9 degrees Celsius, while nearby Kargil registered a minimum of minus 23.7 degrees Celsius, the official added.

The meteorological office has said the weather is expected to remain dry over the next few days in the valley owing to which the temperature could drop further.