Gulmarg, Kashmir’s most celebrated winter resort, recorded its coldest night of the season as temperatures dropped to minus 8.8 degrees Celsius, officials said on Monday. Despite the deep freeze overnight, daytime temperatures hovered around 1 degree Celsius, offering a brief window of comfort under clear winter skies.
While much of the Kashmir plains are still waiting for widespread snowfall, the higher-altitude resorts tell a different story. Gulmarg and Sonamarg have received repeated spells of fresh snow over the past ten days, transforming the slopes into a winter playground and drawing a steady stream of tourists eager for snow-covered landscapes and alpine experiences.
In Srinagar, the cold tightened its grip slightly, with minimum temperatures falling to minus 3.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday night, compared to minus 3.2 degrees the night before. Pahalgam, another popular destination in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 4.8 degrees.
Elsewhere across the Valley, sub-zero temperatures were widespread. Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, saw the mercury settle at minus 2 degrees Celsius. Kokernag recorded a minimum of minus 1.2 degrees, while Kupwara in north Kashmir dipped to minus 1.8 degrees.
For travelers, the contrast is striking: snow-laden mountain resorts alive with winter activity, and quieter plains waiting for their first major snowfall—each offering a different face of Kashmir’s unfolding winter.
