Srinagar, Dec 29 : Dismissing media reports suggesting cold wave sweeping Jammu and kashmir, the metrological department today said the day and night temperatures in the state have not touched the level where we can declare it a cold wave.
“There are technicalities. We cannot declare cold wave in the state unless the temperature goes down to that level. There is no cold wave sweeping the state at present”, Director of the Metrological Department Sonam Lotus told Kashmir Wire.
He said some of the places in the state do register night temperature slightly above normal but not to the extent that it can be declared cold wave. When the temperature goes down minus five degrees than normal temperature, then we can declare cold wave, he added.
Leh was coldest place in the state with a low of minus 11.4, followed by Kargil ( minus 9.2) degrees Celsius. The two towns had recorded a low of minus 7.1 and minus 9.6, respectively, yesterday.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, recorded a low of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius – less than one degree above normal.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 2.4 while two hill resorts of Pahalgam and Gulmarg recorded identical minimum temperature of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, which is far below than normal temperature. The normal night temperature in the two hill resorts is minus 6.2 and minus 5.5.
Kupwara recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.5 and Kokernag 0.2 degrees Celsius which is less than usual.He attributed the fluctuation in the temperature to the dry spell which is continuing in the state. The position is likely to remain unchanged for next two days.
Jammu recorded a low of 7.6, Katra 8.2, Batote 3.2, Banihal 0.6, Bhaderwah 1.9 and Udhampur three degrees Celsius.Meanwhile, Traffic on the 300-km Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only surface link between Kashmir and the rest of the world, continued to be restricted to one-way.
The traffic on the highway is going on smoothly from Srinagar to Jammu today, traffic police said.
It said keeping in view the overall condition of the road, especially between Jawahar Tunnel and Ramban coupled with narrow width of the highway at some places, only one way movement of traffic is feasible on the highway.
No movement of any sort of vehicles including convoys of Army, BSF, CRPF, ITBP and SSB were not allowed from Jammu towards Srinagar today in order to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the highway. (Kashmir Wire)
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