The ongoing cold wave has tightened its grip over Jammu and Kashmir, with Srinagar recording a bone-chilling -3.4°C on Sunday.
The Meteorological Department (MeT) has forecasted that the cold and dry weather conditions will persist across the region until December 20.
As per MeT, weather will remain mainly cloudy with mainly dry weather till 21st December.
In its advisory, the MeT Department said that cold wave over many stations during next 4 days.
“In view of fresh snowfall, Sub freezing temperature & icy conditions over roads of important passes and higher reaches, Tourists/travellers/Transporters are advised to follow Admin/Traffic advisory,” it said.
Meanwhile night temperatures are expected to decline further, with foggy conditions likely to prevail during the coming days.
The Kashmir Valley is experiencing widespread sub-zero temperatures, with several areas reporting severe cold conditions.
Among the coldest places was Shopian, which recorded a freezing -6.1°C, followed by Larnoo at -5.2°C and Pulwama at -5.3°C. Other areas such as Pahalgam, Qazigund, and Anantnag also saw temperatures plummet to -4.8°C, -4.0°C, and -5.1°C, respectively. Zojila Pass was the coldest spot in the region, with an extreme low of -22.0°C.
In the Jammu region, relatively milder temperatures were observed. Jammu city recorded a minimum of 6.6°C, while Banihal and Batote recorded 1.8°C and 6.0°C, respectively.
Katra experienced a low of 8.4°C, whereas Udhampur and Kathua recorded 2.9°C and 5.3°C, respectively. Padder was among the coldest areas in Jammu, with a temperature of 0.3°C.
Meanwhile, Ladakh remained in the grip of severe cold, with Leh recording -10.5°C and Kargil plunging to -11.2°C.