Intense cold grips Kashmir valley, Srinagar records minimum temperature of minus 8.8 degree Celsius

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], January 31 : As severe cold continues to grip the Kashmir Valley, Srinagar registered a recorded minimum temperature of minus 8.8 degree Celsius on Saturday night.
The fall in temperature has also been recorded in several districts of Kashmir Valley. This has led to the disruption day-to-day activities of the locals.
Imtiyaz Ahmed, a local of Srinagar said that the Valley has never witnessed such a harshest winter in the last 30 years.
"For the first time in 30 years, we are witnessing the harshest winter. We are facing issues like scarcity of water as the water freezes as soon as it touches the surface," he told ANI.
Ahmed also highlighted some of the issues faced by local residents.
"People are also facing difficulty in walking and driving on roads as they become slippery due to snowfall," he added.

As the region is witnessing heavy snowfall these days, the tourism industry also picked its pace as tourists influx has increased due to snowfall.
"Winter tourism is doing well and the quality and quantity of snowfall is a blessing. We have the most beautiful key destinations in the world like Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Tulip garden and Srinagar," Sarmad Hafeez, Tourism Secretary had earlier said.
"The state government is planning some mega-events in Gulmarg and Pahalgam to attract more tourists," he added.
As per the bulletin by the Regional Meteorological Centre, Srinagar, the maximum temperature has touched 2 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature dipped to minus 8.8 degrees Celsius in Srinagar.
Indian Meteorological Department also predicted thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and hail at isolated places likely over Jammu and Kashmir on February 3-4.