In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), parts of Dal Lake have been frozen due to severe prevailing cold weather conditions and night temperature recorded a further drop in Kashmir valley as well as Ladakh. Small rivulets, nallahs and streams, connecting the interior parts of Dal Lake, were covered with a thick layer of frozen ice sheets as cold conditions prevailed in Srinagar. “Srinagar has been facing intense cold weather conditions for the past two days. It experienced the coldest night temperature of the season with mercury plunging to minus 3.4 degree Celsius on December 5,” Met officials said. They said that a fresh Western Disturbance (WD) was likely to affect the territory and adjoining areas from tomorrow.

“There is a possibility of light snow over plains and lower reaches, light to moderate snow over middle and higher reaches from Friday to Saturday, particularly over north, north-western, central parts of Kashmir and south Kashmir and light rain at isolated to scattered places of Jammu division,” they said. The Met officials said that mercury dropped in Pahalgam from last night’s 3.8°C by nearly 2°C and it was 2.4°C below normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Islamabad district. They said Qazigund recorded a low of minus 3.6°C against minus 2.2°C on the previous night. The temperature was 2.8°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, they added. Ski resort of Gulmarg in Baramulla, they said, recorded a low of minus 4.0°C against minus 3.5°C on the previous night, the official said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP