Kashmir witnesses persistent drop in night temperatures; dense fog disrupts morning life

Dense fog seen in Srinagar`s city centre, Lalchowk.

Night temperatures in various parts of Kashmir continue to plummet, causing disruptions in early morning activities for the second consecutive day due to dense fog, officials said on Tuesday.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.0 degrees Celsius on Monday night, showing a slight decline from the previous night's temperature of minus 2.3 degrees Celsius, newswire PTI reported quoting officias.

In Pahalgam, located in south Kashmir's Anantnag district the minimum temperature dropped to minus 4.7 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night's reading of minus 4.3 degrees Celsius. Notably, Pahalgam stood as the coldest recorded place in the Kashmir Valley on Monday.

Gulmarg, a renowned ski resort situated in Baramulla, witnessed a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, as reported by officials. Meanwhile, Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, Kokernag settled at minus 2.0 degrees Celsius, and Kupwara registered a minimum temperature of minus 3.5 degrees Celsius.

The Meteorological Department has forecasted predominantly dry weather in the region until the end of December.

A thick layer of fog enveloped Srinagar city, causing disruptions to normal life for the second day in a row. Reduced visibility led to lighter traffic on roads in the morning, with vehicles moving cautiously due to the foggy conditions.

At 9.25 am, the visibility in Srinagar was reported to be 91 meters due to the persistent fog cover, prompting officials to advise motorists to exercise caution.

Kashmir is currently in the grip of 'Chilla-i-Kalan,' a 40-day period of severe winter characterized by a cold wave that freezes water bodies, including the iconic Dal Lake, and water supply lines across the Valley. This period, marked by the highest likelihood of snowfall, is set to conclude on January 31. Following this, the cold conditions will persist during a 20-day 'Chilla-i-Khurd' (small cold) and a subsequent 10-day 'Chilla-i-Bachha' (baby cold).

Meanwhile, two earthquakes of mild intensity struck Ladakh and Kishtwar areas of Jammu and Kashmir early Tuesday, officials said. There were no immediate reports of any damage due to the tremors, they said.

The epicentre of the two quakes were in Leh district and Kishtwar district, they added.

According to the National Centre of Seismology (NCS), an earthquake of 4.5 magnitude occurred at 4.33 am in Ladakh. The depth of the earthquake was five kilometers below the surface of the earth at 34.73 degrees latitude and 77.07 degrees longitude, it said.

The earthquake jolted sleeping residents of both Kargil and Leh districts but police said there was no report of any damage from anywhere.

An earthquake of 3.7 magnitude occurred was recorded at 1.10 am in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district. The depth of the quake was five km from the surface at 33.36 degrees latitude and 76.67 degrees longitude, the NCS said. (With inputs from PTI)