Kashmir’s popular tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam plunged several degrees below freezing, even as the rest of the Valley witnessed relatively milder conditions, officials said on Wednesday.
Gulmarg, the famed ski destination in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 8.0 degrees Celsius, a drop of 2.7 degrees from the previous night, officials said.
Pahalgam, the south Kashmir tourist resort and base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, also saw a sharp dip, with the mercury falling by around five degrees to minus 5.6 degrees Celsius, compared to minus 0.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night.
In contrast, Srinagar registered a minimum temperature of 3.0 degrees Celsius, which was 3.6 degrees above the seasonal average, indicating a gradual moderation in night temperatures.
Elsewhere in the Valley, Qazigund recorded a low of 1.0 degree Celsius, Kokernag minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara registered 1.6 degrees Celsius.
Officials said minimum temperatures across Kashmir have been rising slowly but steadily since the conclusion of ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day harshest phase of winter in the Valley.
The upward trend signals the transition into ‘Chillai Khurd’, the 20-day period of relatively milder cold that began on Saturday. This will be followed by ‘Chillai Bachha’, the 10-day ‘baby cold’ phase, marking the gradual end of winter in Kashmir.