JAMMU RECORDS SEASON’s COLDEST NIGHT

Traffic resumes on Jammu-Srinagar NH after clearance of landslide

16/12/2018

JAMMU, Dec 15: The winter capital Jammu recorded the coldest night of the season so far with minimum temperature settling at 5.5 degrees Celsius, an official of the Meteorological (MeT) department said Saturday.
The night temperature across Jammu region is on downward trend over the past week after high altitude areas, including the famous cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, experienced snowfall.
The night temperature fell by almost two degrees compared to the previous night to settle at 5.5 degrees Celsius -- 3.7 notches below the normal during this part of the season, the official said.
However, a bright sun shone early in the morning providing much needed relief to the denizens from the chilly night.
Jammu city recorded a low of 10.9 degrees Celsius Tuesday, 9.6 degrees Celsius Wednesday, 7.9 degrees Celsius on Thursday and 7.4 degrees Celsius on Friday.
The city had recorded the lowest day temperature of 13.2 degrees Celsius on December 12 when it was lashed by intermittent rains throughout the day.
With the improvement in the weather, the day temperatures increased in the subsequent days and settled at normal 21.4 degrees Celsius Friday.
The weatherman has forecast dry spell in the region during next week.
However, Traffic resumed Saturday on Jammu-Srinagar national highway after remaining suspended for over five hours following a landslide near here, officials said.
The landslide struck the highway at Gangroo near Ramsu around 11 am, blocking the 270-km highway and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded.
After a five-hour clearance operation, the road was reopened for traffic this evening, the officials said.
Vehicle movement on the all-weather road, which is the only link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, was suspended on Wednesday after the area around Jawahar tunnel the gateway to Kashmir experienced heavy snowfall, rendering the road in an extremely slippery condition.
One-way traffic on the highway resumed Friday after being closed for two days.
The road closure had left over 1,800 vehicles stranded.
Traffic on the highway plies alternately from the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu to ensure smooth movement of vehicles.
Meanwhile, most places in the Kashmir division experienced the season's coldest night Friday, even as the mercury continued its downward spiral in the valley and Ladakh region, MET officials said.
The minimum temperature across Kashmir, barring Pahalgam, dropped due to a clear sky last night, they said.
Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir - recorded a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius.
The officials said Kokernag, Qazigund, Kupwara, Gulmarg, Leh and Drass also experienced the season's coldest night Friday.
Kokernag town in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius the lowest night temperature for December in over a decade.
Qazigund the gateway town to the valley - recorded the coldest December night in the last four years at 5 degrees Celsius. It had registered a low of minus 5.9 degrees Celsius on December 27, 2014, the officials said.
The night temperature in Pahalgam, one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, settled at 9.5 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam, which on Thursday experienced the coldest December night in over a decade, was the only place in the valley and Ladakh region where the night temperature increased last night.
At minus 11.5 degrees Celsius, the ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded the coldest December night in the last three years, the officials said.
Kupwara in north Kashmir saw the mercury going down to minus 4.5 degrees Celsius.
The mercury in Leh town, in the Ladakh region, plummeted eight degrees last night to settle at minus 13.9 degrees Celsius.
The officials said Kargil town recorded a low of minus 10.2 degrees Celsius. Drass, in Kargil district, had a low of minus 19.7 degrees Celsius and was the coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir.

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