Srinagar: The world-famous Dal Lake, taps and drains besides other water bodies had frozen on Sunday morning as cold wave further tightened its grip in Kashmir valley, where people remained indoors due to icy cold winds and fog in the morning.
This summer capital recorded the coldest night of the season at minus 4 degree Celsius, while people in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh continued to shiver due to below freezing temperature.
Drass in Ladakh, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, was coldest in the region at minus 26 degree, while the minimum temperature at Leh was registered at minus 16 degrees.
Majority of water bodies remained frozen and people were using spring water, which remained warm in winters and cold in summers. Temperature at Kargil was not available, a Met department spokesperson told UNI today.
Besides chilly weather conditions, dense fog disrupted normal activities, including surface and air traffic in the valley this morning.
Cold and dry spell will continue during the next 48 hours in the valley, due to which the mercury will witness a further drop.
Very dense fog, coupled with icy cold winds, for the second day today badly hit normal activities, particularly traffic movement in this summer capital, where people remained indoors due to sub-zero temperature.
Vehicles were plying with head and fog lights on. However, visibility improved as the day progressed.
He said Srinagar witnessed further drop of 0.5 notch in the minimum temperature against Saturday, when it was minus 3.6 degrees. On Sunday, it was minus 4 degrees, coldest so far, he said.
Water in Dal Lake and other water bodies near banks, taps and drains was frozen in most areas, particularly in the outskirts in Srinagar. However, the water defroze, as the day progressed. However, in the interior Lake, water remained frozen due to icy cold winds and fog.
The world-famous ski resort of Gulmarg and health resort of Pahalgam recorded minus 5.6 degrees and 6.3 degrees minimum temperature, respectively. Kupwara, the frontier district in north Kashmir, recorded minus 5.7 degrees, which was over 3.5 notches below normal.
Qazigund in south Kashmir, gateway of Kashmir on Srinagar-Jammu national highway, recorded minus 3.5 degrees, over 2.5 degrees below normal, while the tourist resort of Kokernag witnessed minus 4 degrees, about three notches below normal. (UNI)
