Freezing winter continues in Kashmir Valley
By IANSSunday, January 23, 2011
SRINAGAR - The Kashmir Valley continued to freeze Sunday with the minimum temperature dipping three degrees below normal to minus 4.8 degrees Celsius while Leh was biting cold at minus 17.6 degrees.
“Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius today (Sunday), which is three degrees below normal, while Jammu recorded a minimum of 7.5 degrees, two degrees below normal,” said A.R. Zargar, meteorologist at the weather office here.
The minimum temperature in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam hill station was minus 10.4 degrees while it was minus 10.1 in north Kashmir Gulmarg ski resort, he said.
In Leh town of Ladakh region, the minimum recorded was minus 17.6 degrees, Zargar added.
“Mainly cold and dry weather is likely to continue across Jammu and Kashmir” at least till Monday, the meteorologist said.
A thick layer of frozen snow on the main roads and lanes in Srinagar and other towns of the Valley in the morning makes movement difficult and risky for motorists and pedestrians.
The strategic Srinagar-Jammu highway was open to one-way traffic and vehicles are to move from Jammu to Srinagar. No vehicle will be allowed to move in the opposite direction, a traffic official said here.
These precautions are being adopted to prevent accidents on the over 300-km long highway, which remains highly slippery in its Bannihal sector.
