Kashmir continued to reel under intense cold with Gulmarg skiing resort recording a low of minus 10 degrees Celsius...

Srinagar, Jan 9 (PTI) Kashmir continued to reel under intense cold with Gulmarg skiing resort recording a low of minus 10 degrees Celsius, Met officials said Wednesday. The minimum temperature in Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir - fell to minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, they said. They said Qazigund in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius, up by nearly one degree from the previous night.

Kokernag registered a low of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 3.0 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam tourist resort, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 5.0 degrees Celsius last night and the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg registered a low of minus 10.0 degrees Celsius.

The officials said Leh recorded a low of minus 9.9 degrees Celsius last night, while the mercury in the nearby Kargil settled at a low of minus 15.6 degrees Celsius. The weatherman has forecast another spell of precipitation including snowfall in Kashmir from Thursday. Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan' a 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably. 'Chillai-Kalan' ends on January 31, followed by a 20-day long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).