SRINAGAR, January 09, 2026: An unrelenting cold wave has tightened its grip across Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, with mercury levels dropping to record-breaking lows for the season. In the Kashmir Valley, the capital city of Srinagar recorded a bone-chilling minimum of -6.0°C, while the South Kashmir district of Shopian emerged as one of the coldest inhabited plains at -7.7°C.
Popular tourist destinations are shivering under sub-zero extremes, with Pahalgam recording -7.6°C and the ski resort of Gulmarg at -7.2°C. The intense freeze has led to the partial freezing of several water bodies, including the fringes of the iconic Dal Lake.
Other notable lows in the valley include Pulwama at -7.5°C, Anantnag at -7.1°C, and Srinagar Airport at -7.4°C, as the region remains in the peak of Chillai-Kalan, the traditional 40-day period of harshest winter.
In the Jammu region, while temperatures remain relatively higher than the valley, several districts have also dipped below the freezing point.
Rajouri recorded -1.7°C, while Udhampur and Banihal shivered at -1.0°C and -0.9°C respectively. Jammu city logged a minimum of 5.6°C, significantly lower than previous nights.
Meanwhile, the Union Territory of Ladakh continues to face extreme Arctic-like conditions; Drass, one of the coldest inhabited places on Earth, recorded a staggering -24.6°C, followed by Nyoma at -21.6°C and Padum at -20.3°C.
Meteorological officials predict that these dry and freezing conditions are likely to persist, with no major snowfall expected until the third week of January, further intensifying the cold wave across the Himalayan belt.
