Leh coldest in J&K at minus 11.5 degrees

Leh experienced the coldest night of the season as the night temperature plummeted by over 8 degrees from minus 3.0 degrees Celsius

Srinagar, Dec 9: Leh in Ladakh region was recorded as the coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir with a minimum temperature of minus 11.5 degrees Celsius, as the mercury continued to hover below freezing point in most parts of the Valley.

Leh experienced the coldest night of the season as the night temperature plummeted by over 8 degrees from minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, recorded in the previous night, a spokesman of the MET Department said here.

The night temperature across Kashmir division, except the ski-resort of Gulmarg, continued to hover below the freezing point owing to continuous dry weather in the state, which is expected to continue till the weekend.

The data for nearby Kargil town was not available, the spokesman said. Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded the minimum of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, slightly up from the previous night's minus 3.7 degrees Celsius.

The spokesman said Kupwara, in north Kashmir, was the coldest place in the region as the mercury settled at the low of minus 4.9 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius.

The MeT spokesman said the ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the only place where night temperature was recorded above freezing point at 1.0 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund town in south Kashmir registered the minimum of minus 3.2 degrees Celsius, while the nearby Kokernag town recorded the low of minus 2.2 degree Celsius, he said.

The MET Office forecast isolated rains in the plains and snowfall in the higher reaches for at least two days from tomorrow.

PTI