SRINAGAR: Barring Gulmarg and Pahalgam, night temperature recorded drop in Jammu and Kashmir even as the weatherman has forecast generally dry weather till March 20. A meteorological department official said that Srinagar recorded a minimum of 1.2°C against 1.7°C on the previous night which was below normal by 2.5°C for the summer capital of J&K for this time of the year. Qazigund recorded a minimum of 2.1°C against 2.2°C on the previous night and it was 0.7°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, he said. Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 2.0°C against minus 3.1°C on the previous night and it was 0.8°C below normal for the famous resort in south Kashmir. Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum of 1.9°C against 2.3°C on the previous night and it was 0.6°C below normal, the official said. Kupwara town recorded a low of minus 0.2°C against 0.6°C on the previous night and it was 2.5°C below normal there, the official said. Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 3.4°C against minus 5.2°C on the previous night and it was below normal by 0.1°C for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Jammu, he said, recorded a minimum of 11.1°C and it was below normal by 2.9°C for the winter capital of J&K. Banihal recorded a low of 3.0°C, Batote 6.3°C and Bhaderwah 3.6°C, he said. While largely dry weather has been forecast till March 20, the weatherman said that a fresh spell of rain and snow was expected in J&K thereafter till March 24.
