Kashmir highs see temperatures rise above freezing after snowfall

After a spell of delicate snow blanketing the higher reaches of Kashmir overnight, the region woke to a subtle shift in winter’s grip, as night temperatures rose above the freezing point for the first time this December, officials said on Sunday.

Snowfall dusted Zojila Pass, Minamarg, and Baltal along the Srinagar-Drass corridor in Ganderbal district, while the pristine heights of Tulail in the Gurez valley of Bandipora also witnessed nature’s icy touch. Srinagar, the summer capital now draped in winter’s early frost, recorded a minimum of 2°C, a dramatic rise from minus 2.9°C the previous night — a nearly five-degree leap that brought warmth back to the valley’s chilly mornings.

The night temperature soared 3.2°C above the seasonal norm, according to the meteorological department, while Pulwama clung to winter’s edge, registering the only sub-zero low of minus 2.7°C in the region. Srinagar and much of the valley were shrouded in a thick, ethereal fog in the early hours, lending the landscape a surreal, almost mystical air.

Other pockets of South Kashmir, including Qazigund and Kokernag, saw lows of 0.8°C, while the north Kashmir district of Kupwara settled at 1.2°C. The famed ski haven of Gulmarg registered 1.4°C, and Pahalgam, the base camp for the Amarnath Yatra, dipped to 2.4°C, hinting at the deepening chill as winter tightens its hold.

Kashmir now approaches the onset of Chillai Kalan — the 40-day period of harshest winter that begins on 21 December — when snowfall is at its peak and mercury plunges to its lowest. The meteorological department has forecast light rain or snow at scattered locations in the Valley on December 20-21, heralding the arrival of the season’s icy embrace.

With PTI inputs