Srinagar: Cold conditions continued to prevail in Kashmir valley, while Drass and Leh in Ladakh Union Territory recorded minus 12.6 and Leh minus 6.7 respectively on Thursday.
A Meteorological Department official said cold conditions continued to intensify in Kashmir valley on Thursday although the minimum temperature settled to 1.6 degrees Celsius for the second consecutive day today.
Cold weather coupled with thick fog engulfed most areas of the Srinagar city early in the morning making visibility low and disrupting normal life. The visibility on the various roads including on famous Boulevard Road on the banks of Dal Lake and other adjacent roads was low due to thick fog surrounding and vehicles were plying keeping headlight on. However, with the sunrise, the fog faded away gradually.
Drass, Leh and Kargil in Ladakh Union Territory showed a dip in the minimum temperature making life tough with the nights becoming colder in the region, a MeT official said.
Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia recorded a minimum temperature as minus 12.6 degrees Celsius, Leh and Kargil recorded a minimum temperature as minus 6.7 degrees Celsius and at Kargil, it was recorded as minus 6.4 degrees Celsius.
He said, Ski resort of Gulmarg showed an ordinary improvement in the night temperature, which was recorded as minus 0.5 degrees Celsius against minus 0.6 degrees Celsius a day ago. The tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir showed an improvement and was recorded at minus 2.8 degrees Celsius against minus 3.0 degrees Celsius a day ago.
Kokernag also in south Kashmir showed a further drop in the night temperature experienced as 1.7 degrees celsius against the 2.1 degrees Celsius the previous day and in the frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara it was recorded as minus 0.2 degree Celsius, against the 0.1 degree Celsius recorded a day ago.
The Met office predicted dry weather to continue in Kashmir and Ladakh region with night temperature likely to see a further drop in temperature during this week.