Srinagar:  Leh was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir as the cold wave persisting in the valley and Ladakh region with the minimum temperature going down at most places last night.

Leh town, in the frontier Ladakh region of the state, recorded a low of minus 11.4 degrees Celsius a decrease of over four degrees from the previous night’s minus 7.1 degrees Celsius, an official of the MET department here said.

Leh was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the night temperature at the nearby Kargil town settled at a low of minus 9.2 degrees Celsius compared to minus 9.6 degrees Celsius the previous night.

The official said Srinagar city, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded the minimum temperature of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius last night, slightly down from minus 2.7 degrees Celsius the previous night.

He said the mercury in Qazigund in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, nearly a degree down from minus 1.6 degrees Celsius the previous night.

Kokernag town recorded a low of 0.2 degree Celsius – up from yesterday’s minus 1.1 degrees Celsius, he said.

Kupwara town in north Kashmir registered a low of minus 3.5 degrees Celsius last night, a decrease of over a degree from the previous night’s minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, the official said.

He said the mercury at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius over a degree colder than the previous night’s minus 4 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature in Pahalgam – the famous health resort which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra recorded a low of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, nearly three degrees down from yesterday’s minus 2.5 degrees Celsius, the official said.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, a 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.

It ends on January 31 next year, but the cold wave continues even after that in the valley.

The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long Chillai- Khurd (small cold) and a 10-day long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold).

The MET Office has forecast mainly dry weather in Kashmir for next few days.

Meanwhile, dismissing media reports suggesting that cold wave is sweeping the state of Jammu and Kashmir,  the metrological department today said the day and night temperatures in the state have not touched the level where we can declare  it a cold wave. “There are technicalities. We cannot declare cold wave in the state unless the temperature goes down to that level. There is no cold wave  sweeping the state at present”, Director of the Metrological Department Sonam Lotus said.

He said some of the places in the state do register night temperature slightly above  normal  but not to the extent that it can be declared ‘cold wave’. When the temperature goes down minus five degrees than normal temperature, then we can declare cold wave, he added.

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