Agencies

Srinagar, November 29:

The minimum temperature at most places in Kashmir valley settled several degrees below the freezing point, officials said on Monday.

Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday night, down from minus 0.2 degrees Celsius the previous night, the officials said.

They said Pahalgam, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius.

Gulmarg resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district also recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.2 degrees Celsius.

The mercury in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, recorded minus 2 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius.

The MET Office has said the weather will most likely remain dry but cold till December 3.

The wintry conditions in the valley set-in much ahead of the beginning of extreme harsh weather conditions which usually start around the third week of December.

‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day period of harsh winter in Kashmir, begins on December 21 every year.