Cold wave conditions intensified in Kashmir as the minimum temperature dropped several degrees below freezing point, leading to the freezing of water body edges, including parts of the Dal Lake, officials said on Tuesday. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius, a sharp drop from minus 3.4 degrees Celsius the previous night, they added.
Officials further stated that water supply lines in several parts of the city and across the valley froze due to the intense cold. Gulmarg, a popular skiing destination, recorded a low of minus 4 degrees Celsius, unchanged from the previous night. Meanwhile, Pahalgam, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, dropping from minus 5 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night.
Konibal, a quiet hamlet on the outskirts of Pampore town, recorded the lowest temperature in the valley, with the mercury plunging to minus 8.5 degrees Celsius. Qazigund, known as the gateway to Kashmir, registered a minimum temperature of minus 6 degrees Celsius. In north Kashmir, Kupwara recorded minus 5.6 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag in south Kashmir saw the mercury drop to minus 5.7 degrees Celsius.
The Met office has forecast mainly dry weather until December 26, with the possibility of light snowfall in the higher reaches of the valley on the night of December 21-22.