Srinagar, Nov 21: Cold conditions continued in Kashmir on Sunday as the minimum temperature settled below the freezing point across the Valley, officials said.
The meteorological department has forecast mostly dry weather for the week.
The valley witnessed sub-zero minimum temperature Saturday night and the mercury was two to three degrees below the normal for this part of the season at most places, the MeT officials said.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1.3 degrees Celsius Saturday night — slightly up from minus 1.5 degrees Celsius the previous night, they said.
The officials said Pahalgam, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam was the coldest recorded place in Kashmir.
Gulmarg resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius.
The mercury in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 3.0 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, recorded minus 2.2 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag registered a low of minus 1.3 degrees Celsius.
The MeT Office predicted the weather will most likely remain dry over the week ahead.
However, there is possibility of light snowfall over extreme north Kashmir parts on November 24, it said.
The wintry conditions in Kashmir have set-in much ahead of the beginning of extreme harsh weather conditions which usually start around the third week of December. ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day period of harsh winter in Kashmir, begins on December 21 every year. (Agencies)