SRINAGAR, JAMMU & KASHMIR | January 12, 2026 — A relentless cold wave has swept across the region, sent temperatures tumbling to record seasonal lows and leaving the landscape in a state of deep freeze.
In the Kashmir Valley, Pulwama recorded a staggering -6.5°C, making it the coldest station in the plains, followed by Shopian at -5.2°C and Sopore at -4.3°C. Major hubs including Srinagar (-2.4°C), Qazigund (-3.6°C), and Kupwara (-3.7°C) remained consistently below freezing, while the ski resort of Gulmarg and the valley of Pahalgam both chilled at -3.4°C.
The Jammu division also felt the bite, with Samba and Rajouri narrowly escaping sub-zero marks at 0.7°C and 0.8°C, while the city of Jammu settled at 3.4°C.
Meanwhile, the Ladakh region faced the most extreme conditions as Hanle plummeted to a brutal -15.0°C and Leh shivered at -10.8°C, signaling a peak in the winter’s intensity across the northern territories.
