SRINAGAR: After witnessing intermittent rain in plains and snow on upper reaches during the last two days, sun came out on Friday much to the delight of the people in Kashmir valley, where the night temperature dipped due to clear skies though it was still above normal.
Meanwhile, Leh in Ladakh region was the coldest place in the region at minus 9.1 degree followed by border town of Kargil at minus 8.2 degree.
A Met department spokesperson said that weather will be mainly dry during the next 48 hours in the state, which could result in further dip in the night temperature.
People continued to shiver in Ladakh region, where the night temperature at border town of Kargil dipped by about 2 degree from Thursday and settled at minus 8.2 degree. Against minus 9.2 degree recorded on Thursday, the night temperature at Leh was minus 9.1 degree.
He said skies will be partly cloudy during the next 24 hours in Leh, where maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 5 degree and minus 9 degree, respectively.
The world famous ski resort of Gulmarg, where the ski slopes are covered under several feet of snow, witnessed a dip of over 3 degree from Thursday due to open skies. Against minus 2.8 degree recorded on Thursday, the night temperature at Gulmarg, which is about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, was minus 6 degree, about 2 degree below normal.
However, it is a bright sunny Friday in Gulmarg, where tourists, both national and foreigners, were having a blast on the internationally acclaimed ski slopes.
“The tourists are enjoying a sunny day after two days of mesmerizing snowfall. There are many options for tourists now, including skiing, Gondola ride. Once there is more snow, snowboarding attracts people all over the world,” a hotelier said over the phone.
People woke up to a sunny Friday in Srinagar after two days of light snow and rain due to a Western Disturbance (WD) from the Arabian Sea. However, due to open skies the night temperature in Srinagar dipped and settled at 2.3 degree, against 3.1 degree recorded on Thursday.
The night temperature in Srinagar was still above normal.
The spokesperson told UNI that skies will be partly cloudy during the next 24 hours in Srinagar, where maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 11 degree and 2 degree, respectively.
After witnessing a dip of over 4 degrees in night temperature, world famous health resort of Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, sun came out in the afternoon, improving the maximum temperature. Against 0.3 degree recorded on Thursday, the night temperature plunged and settled at minus 4.1 degree, slightly below normal.
The mercury at Qazigund, gateway to the valley, Kupwara in north Kashmir and another tourist resort of Kokernag dipped and settled at 3 degree, minus 0.2 degree and 2.7 degree respectively. The night temperature at these three places was several degrees above normal. (AGENCIES)
