Kashmir valley continue to reel under intense cold wave

SRINAGAR: The intense cold wave gripping Kashmir valley showed no signs of relenting even though there was a marginal dip in the night temperature dipping to seven degrees below freezing point.

The night temperature recorded in Srinagar city was minus seven degrees Celsius.

Other parts of the valley also recorded temperatures of identical nature, an official of the meteorological department said.

He said Pahalgam recorded minus 6.8 degrees Celsius while north Kashmir border district of Kupwara saw the mercury dipping to 5.3 degrees below the freezing point.
   
Tuesday night was the coldest this winter at minus 7.4 degrees Celsius, which is a record for last 20 years.

The official said the night temperature was more than five degrees below normal for this part of the year.
   
However, the day temperature in the valley was five degrees above normal at 10.1 degrees Celsius, he said.

The unusual day and night temperatures in the valley have caused an extended dry spell due to which residents have been suffering from many weather-related ailments like soar throat, cough, common cold and fever.

The sharp dip in minimum temperature has resulted in freezing of the Dal lake. Five to six inches thick layer of ice had frozen along the banks of the lake while the interiors of the lake also froze but the thickness of the ice was much lesser.
   
There were also reports of frozen taps and water bodies from several parts of the valley including the city.

Police has warned people against walking on the layer of ice in the Dal lake.