Srinagar, Dec 26
As night temperatures continued to remain several notches below the freezing point in Kashmir, the famous Dal Lake froze solid at the top on Thursday.
The minimum temperature was minus 7 degrees Celsius in Srinagar while it was minus 6 and minus 8.6 in Gulmarg and Pahalgam respectively.
Jammu city had 6.6, Katra town 8, Batote 1.7, Banihal 0.7 and Bhaderwah minus 1.1 degrees.
Kashmir Valley continued to remain in the grip of intense cold as markets, streets and main roads remained almost deserted in the morning due to extreme chill and highly slippery road conditions.
Boatmen virtually gave up fighting their way through half-frozen Dal Lake in Srinagar as the freeze set deeper and firmer on the lake's surface.
At many places by the banks of River Jhelum, houseboats appeared to have been ‘grounded’ due to the surrounding frozen water.
Long icicles and frost have become a common sight in Srinagar city and the rest of the Valley. Water taps refuse to defreeze and many areas in the city have been complaining of a lack of potable water for the last four days.