Cold wave conditions have intensified across the Kashmir Valley as the minimum temperature in the summer capital dropped sharply to minus 4.1 degrees Celsius on Saturday, officials said.
Temperatures, according to the MeT office in Srinagar, are likely to decrease further in the coming days.
Weather conditions are expected to change from December 8 onwards, as the MeT predicts light snowfall in the higher reaches and rainfall in the plains over the next 48 hours.
Several weather stations in the Kashmir Valley witnessed the season’s coldest night on Friday. Jammu remained the warmest place with 9 degrees, while South Kashmir’s Shopian district was the coldest with minus 6.4 degrees.
Daytime temperatures have stayed relatively moderate across Jammu and Kashmir, while nighttime temperatures have plunged below the freezing point across most weather stations in the Valley.
In central Kashmir, temperatures fell sharply in Budgam and Ganderbal, along with South Kashmir’s Shopian, Kulgam, and Anantnag over the past 24 hours.
Qazigund, known as the gateway to Kashmir, recorded minus 4.2 degrees while several weather stations across north Kashmir, including Baramulla, Bandipora, and Kupwara, also recorded a sharp decline in night temperatures.
In the Jammu division, the weather remained relatively moderate with Jammu city recording 9 degrees Celsius, while Banihal, Kishtwar, Bhaderwah, and Batote experienced a slight dip in minimum temperatures.