SRINAGAR, January 21, 2026:- The cold wave has tightened its grip across the Union Territory, with the Kashmir region experiencing a severe freeze and several areas in the Jammu division recording sub-zero temperatures.
In the Kashmir Valley, the mercury plummeted to its lowest in Shopian and Sonamarg, both recording a bone-chilling -5.5°C, followed closely by the ski resort of Gulmarg at -5.0°C and Pulwama at -4.9°C.
The summer capital, Srinagar, recorded a minimum of -2.4°C, while other key locations like Anantnag at -4.2°C, Beerwah at -4.1°C, Pahalgam at -3.8°C, and Qazigund at -3.3°C remained firmly in the grip of the frost.
Even the northern reaches and local hubs saw no respite, with Kupwara, Pampore, and Sopore all settling between -3.0°C and -3.1°C. The slightest relief was found in Aloosa Bandipora and Kokernag, which recorded -0.4°C and -0.6°C respectively.
Meanwhile, the Jammu region displayed a significant temperature variation between its plains and mountainous districts.
While Jammu city and its airport recorded relatively milder lows of 7.2°C and 7.4°C, several other districts faced near-freezing or sub-zero conditions. Banihal recorded a low of -2.3°C, Bhaderwah dipped to -1.8°C, and Samba saw the mercury touch -0.1°C. Close to the freezing point, Rajouri recorded 0.5°C and Udhampur 0.6°C, while Kishtwar stayed slightly higher at 1.4°C.
Other major towns in the division remained in the single digits, with Katra at 7.0°C, Kathua at 6.0°C, Poonch at 5.7°C, Reasi at 4.4°C, and Doda at 3.4°C. This widespread drop in temperature has heightened the winter chill across the entire landscape, marking one of the coldest mornings of the season for many residents.
