The minimum temperature in Leh town plummeted several degrees as the cold wave tightened its grip in Kashmir Valley, where the mercury was recorded below the freezing point at all weather monitoring stations. Leh, in Ladakh region, had experienced an improvement in temperature the previous night when the mercury rose nearly six degrees to settle at a low of minus 7.7 degrees Celsius. However, the cold wave tightened its grip again and the minimum temperature dropped over seven degrees last night. The town recorded a low of -15.0C, a Met department official said. Leh was the coldest place recorded in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said. He said data for nearby Kargil town was not available. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of -4.6C down from -3.2C - the city had experienced a night before. The night temperature in Qazigund, in south Kashmir, settled at a low of -5.0C down from yesterday's -3.2C. In the neighbouring Kokernag town, the mercury decreased marginally to -2.7C, the official said. He said Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of -5.3C. The official said the night temperature in Pahalgam - which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra dipped nearly three degrees from the previous night to settle at -6.1C last night. Gulmarg - the popular ski-resort in north Kashmir - recorded a minimum temperature of -4.5C.
The resort was the only place in the Valley where the temperature increased last night. Kashmir is now under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan' a 40- day harshest period of winter. It ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in the Valley. The Met office said the weather is likely to remain dry till January 17.
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