Leh records coldest night of season

Srinagar: Leh in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir experienced the coldest night this winter as the minimum temperature there settled over 13 degrees Celsius below the freezing point.An official of the MET department said here that last night was the coldest night the frontier town has experienced so far.Leh had witnessed the previous lowest of minus 13.5 degrees Celsius on 23 November.The nearby Kargil town recorded a low of minus 7.5 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees down from the previous night, the official said, adding Leh and Kargil were the only places in Kashmir division where the mercury dipped last night.He said the night temperature marked an increase across Kashmir valley with Srinagar recording a low of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius last night up by 0.5 degree from the previous night, which was the coldest night this season so far.The official said the mercury in Qazigund in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 1.8 degrees Celsius, up from minus 3.2 the previous night.He said Kokernag town recorded a low of 0.7 degree Celsius, over two degrees up from minus 1.4 degrees Celsius yesterday.Kokernag was the only place across the valley and Ladakh region where the night temperature stayed above the freezing point.Kupwara town in north Kashmir registered a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius, slightly up from the previous night's minus 3.2 degrees Celsius, the official said.Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius nearly a degree up from the previous night's minus 4.5 degrees Celsius.He said Pahalgam registered an increase of over two degrees in the night temperature as the minimum there settled at minus 2 degrees Celsius compared to the previous night's minus 4.4 degrees Celsius.The official said the weather is likely to remain dry in the valley till December 10 and there is a possibility of rain or snowfall on 11.