Minimum temperatures in most of Kashmir hover near freezing point

Srinagar: Minimum temperatures in most places of the Kashmir Valley dropped close to the freezing point or below it on Monday days after the region witnessed snowfall and rain.

While the minimum temperature in Srinagar City and Kokernag town in south Kashmir stayed marginally above the freezing point, Pahalgam and Gulmarg continued to reel under sub-zero temperatures, weather department officials said.

Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, which serves as one of the base camps for the Amarnath Yatra, saw the mercury settling at minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest in the Valley on Sunday night.

Gulmarg in Baramulla district recorded a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius, the officials said, adding the minimum temperature in Srinagar was 0.7 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund recorded a low of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius while the Kokernag town in south Kashmir registered a minimum of 0.8 degrees Celsius.

Last Thursday saw an end to the three-week-long dry spell in Kashmir as the middle and higher reaches of the Valley witnessed snowfall while rains lashed the plains.

The meteorological office said the skies would remain partly to generally cloudy but the weather would be dry till December 10.