Srinagar, Oct 25 (HS): The world-famous tourist destinations of Pahalgam and Gulmarg recorded the season’s first sub-zero night temperatures on Sunday, with minimum temperatures of minus 0.3 degrees Celsius and minus 0.4 degrees Celsius respectively, as the Valley moves towards winter.

Srinagar recorded a minimum night temperature of 2.9 degrees Celsius, which is 0.9 degrees Celsius below normal, according to the Meteorological Department.

A department official said isolated, intermittent rain has been reported at a few places since morning, but there is no widespread or continuous rain. He said the system will pass by Monday morning and that the weather will be completely dry by October 28. Even after October 28, he said, only one or two places may see rain over the following five days, and there is no major weather system over the next 15 days.

The official said farmers have been advised to continue their work and keep the harvested produce safe, as rain poses a risk to it. “There is nothing to worry about. You can continue your work,” he said.

He said no impact-based weather is forecast, meaning no conditions that could block roads or cause heavy snowfall.

The official said the Valley is moving towards winter, so night temperatures will remain around half a degree below normal every day, while daytime temperatures will stay near normal and will not rise above it.

The weather remained sunny in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir on Sunday. Large numbers of residents and tourists visited Bagh-e-Gul-e-Dawood, Srinagar’s Chrysanthemum Garden, and the other Mughal gardens. The chinar trees have taken on their autumn colours.

The cold nights have also picked up winter shopping. Residents have started buying the traditional pheran, and kangris have begun appearing in shops across towns and villages. Ghulam Hassan Khadim, a kangri maker from Charar-i-Sharief, had said earlier this week that most people in the Valley start buying kangris as early as autumn, and that buyers have begun thronging his workshop.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat