35.7 C in Srinagar, 36.7 in Kupwara

Srinagar: Breaking the record of almost four decades for the month of August, Kashmir valley reeled under temperatures as high as 36.7 degrees Celsius on Monday.
Srinagar recorded the maximum temperature at 35.7 degrees Celsius, six degrees higher than the normal temperature for this time.
The meteorological department said that the temperature recorded in Srinagar district on Monday was the hottest during the month of August in the last 39 years.
Kupwara district in north Kashmir recorded a temperature of 36.7 degrees Celsius, breaching a more than two-decade-old record. The previous highest temperature recorded in August was in 1993, said the department.
In Kokernag in south Kashmir, the maximum temperature was 32.0 degree Celsius, the highest in the past three decades.
While Kashmir valley continues to be under tight grip of a heat wave, the meteorological department said that there was no forecast of any major rainfall in the next few days. However, they said, rainfall may occur at scattered places on Thursday and Friday.
Kashmir valley is facing a rainfall deficit of more than 50% this year. The rising temperatures have occurred due to the prolonged dry weather for the past two months, the department said

KALEEM GEELANI