Srinagar, Nov 12: Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital, Srinagar, experienced the coldest night of the season on Wednesday as temperatures dipped to minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, marking the season’s first major cold wave.
The hill resort of Pahalgam was the coldest in the Valley at minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, while Gulmarg recorded minus 1 degree Celsius, the Meteorological (MeT) Department said.
“As expected, the night temperature dropped to minus 1.6 degrees Celsius in Srinagar today, the lowest so far this season. The mercury is likely to fall further in the coming days,” a MeT official stated.
In the Jammu region, Jammu city recorded a minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, while Katra settled at 9 degrees, Batote at 4.5 degrees, and Bhaderwah at 1.2 degrees Celsius.
With the onset of freezing temperatures, residents across the Kashmir Valley have begun donning woollen attire, especially the traditional ‘Pheran’—a long tweed overgarment used for warmth. Many have also started using the ‘Kangri’, an earthen firepot encased in a willow wicker basket, kept beneath the Pheran to battle the biting cold.
Local doctors have advised senior citizens, children, and people with respiratory ailments to avoid prolonged exposure to cold air, warning that inhaling freezing air can aggravate chest-related illnesses. (KINS)
Srinagar shivers at -1.6°C
