SRINAGAR: A thick layer of fog engulfed Srinagar on Friday even as the minimum temperature stayed several degrees below the freezing point in most of the parts of Kashmir.
A dense layer of fog in Srinagar, affecting visibility as motorists negotiated the roads with caution in the poor light.
“There was no fog, however, around the airport on the outskirts of the city. “There is no fog this side and flight operations went on normally,” said an official at Srinagar International Airport.
The 40-day long period of harsh winter cold known locally as the ‘Chillai Kalan’ will end on January 31.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state recorded a low of minus 7.6.
Pahalgam – the famous health resort which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra was the coldest place in the Valley where minimum temperature was minus 8.6 degrees.
Gulmarg a famous ski-resort recorded a low of minus 5.5 degrees while the mercury in Qazigund in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 8.3 degrees Celsius.
Kokernag town recorded a low of minus 8.4 degrees Celsius while Kupwara town in north Kashmir registered a low of minus 5.7 degrees Celsius last night.
Jammu city recorded 7.1 degrees Celsius, Katra 6.7, Batote 6.6, Banihal recorded 5.8 and Bhaderwah recorded 2.3 degrees Celsius as the night’s lowest temperatures.