Bone-chilling cold has swept across Kashmir this winter. Summer capital city of Srinagar recorded the coldest December night in 28 years with temperature plummeting to minus 7.6 degrees Celsius. This is the first time after 1990 that the temperature in Srinagar has hit the lowest temperature mark.
On December 7, 1990, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 8.8 degrees Celsius. December 12, 1998 held the second coldest record with the minimum temperature at minus 7.5 degrees Celsius.
Ski resort of Gulmarg beat past records on Wednesday night and recorded a minus 9.0 degrees Celsius temperature. Pahalgam in south Kashmir registered a minus 8.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night. Qazigund, the gateway of Kashmir valley, recorded minus 6.1 degrees Celsius.
Ladakh division is witnessing unprecedented cold wave with day temperature falling below freezing point in certain areas. Kargil recorded the maximum of minus 3.2 degrees Celsius while minimum was recorded at minus 16.2 degrees Celsius.
Drass — the second coldest inhabited place in the world — recorded maximum of minus eight degrees Celsius and minimum of minus 20.6 degrees Celsius. Leh recorded 0.2 degrees Celsius on Thursday while minimum temperature was recorded at minus 8.4 degrees Celsius.
Parts of Dal Lake were frozen in Srinagar with ice sheets coating the water body. Water supply lines in the residential houses were frozen with icicles dangling through the taps.
Cold wave notwithstanding, Dal Lake presented a splendid view with tourists thronging the place to witness the frozen lake. Tourists were seen posing for pictures on the banks of Dal Lake with shikara people breaking ice sheet to cruise through the lake. “It is the major attraction for the tourists because frozen lake is a rare occasion,” said Abdul Majeed, a resident of the area.
