With a drop in the maximum temperature, the Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir experienced extreme cold conditions on New Year’s Day. The visibility in the area was near zero due to thick fog on Monday evening.
The fog in the area was caused by a change in the wind pattern from dry, cold north-westerly to moisture-laden easterly due to a weak western disturbance.
Meanwhile, the Kashmir Valley witnessed a bone-chilling first day of the year as the minimum temperature dropped several degrees below freezing point in many areas on Monday.
The minimum temperature in the summer capital of Srinagar dropped to minus 5.2 degrees Celsius in the morning, a weather official said.
As Kashmir grapples with the extreme cold, its impact on daily life and infrastructure is palpable.
The freezing temperatures have made daily activities a challenge for residents.
“The temperature in Jammu and Kashmir was minus 5.4 at night. Wherever we pour water, it freezes. People are coming in large numbers to enjoy the weather. Yesterday, there was a big celebration in front of Lal Chowk. We pray that if there is snowfall, then the cold will subside a little because our children and elders have fallen ill,” a local in Srinagar said while speaking to ANI.
Dal Lake and other water bodies, which attract tourists and locals for rides, have frozen.