Srinagar: The weather turned pleasant as bright sunshine greeted people in the summer capital, Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir valley, where the mercury during the night dipped several degrees and settled below normal due to open skies.
World famous ski resort of Gulmarg, about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, was the only place in the valley where the mercury improved and settled above normal.
A Met department spokesperson told UNI that weather will remain dry during the next 24 hours in Kashmir valley. “Rain and snow is predicted at isolated places on Monday in the valley,” he said, adding the weather will again turn dry from Tuesday onwards, which could result in further dip in the night temperature though day temperature is expected to improve.
After witnessing a dip of 3 degree in the night temperature in Srinagar, people woke up to a sunny Sunday morning. Against 0.6 degree recorded on Saturday, the night temperature in the city dipped and settled at minus 3.6 degree, which is 3 degree below normal. However, weather remained pleasant throughout the day due to sunshine in the city, where people were seen basking in the sun in parks and open fields. “The skies will be partly cloudy to generally cloudy during the next 24 hours in Srinagar, where the maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 8 degree and minus 1 degree, respectively,” he added.
Gulmarg, where the ski slopes are covered under several feet of snow, also witnessed pleasant weather as bright sunshine greeted tourists, including adventure lovers. The mercury at Gulmarg, which is known for its ski slopes and quality of snow, improved 4 degree from Saturday and settled at minus 6.5 degree, slightly above normal. “Tourists, particularly adventure lovers, are out on ski slopes, enjoying different snow related activities on a sunny Sunday,” a hotelier from Gulmarg told UNI over the phone.
The night temperature at world famous tourist resort of Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, dipped about a degree from Saturday and settled at 7.5 degree, which is about a degree below normal. The weather at the health resort also turned pleasant during the day due to sunshine.
The mercury at Qazigund, gateway to the valley, Kupwara in north Kashmir and tourist resort of Kukernag dipped and settled at minus 6.3 degree, minus 3.7 degree and minus 5.4 degree, respectively.