Coldest night of last 30 years freezes Srinagar years

Cricket lovers in Srinagar found a new ‘ground’ on Thursday as they played the game on the surface of frozen Dal Lake after the city recorded the coldest night of last 30 years.
Tourists in the back drop of a frozen waterfall at Tangmarg, in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, on Thursday. The Valley is reeling under severe cold, as Srinagar recorded a low of minus 8.4 degre
Tourists in the back drop of a frozen waterfall at Tangmarg, in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, on Thursday. The Valley is reeling under severe cold, as Srinagar recorded a low of minus 8.4 degre

SRINAGAR:  Cricket lovers in Srinagar found a new ‘ground’ on Thursday as they played the game on the surface of frozen Dal Lake after the city recorded the coldest night of last 30 years. Deputy Director of Meteorological department, Kashmir Mukhtar Ahmad, said the night temperature in Srinagar dropped to minus 8.4 degrees Celsius on the intervening night of January 13 and 14.

Earlier, in 1991, the night temperature in Srinagar had dropped to minus 11.8 degrees Celsius. Similarly, in 1995, the city’s night temperature had dropped to minus 8.3 degrees Celsius. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Srinagar is minus 14.4 degrees Celsius, in 1893. With the mercury dropping many degrees below freezing point, several waterbodies, including portions of the famed Dal Lake, in Srinagar froze.

Some children and youngsters were seen playing cricket with cosco ball on the frozen portions of the lake. Some kids were seen sliding on the ice. Apprehending that the youth’s enthusiasm could lead to some mishap, the administration deployed quick response teams and the River Police in Dal Lake to prevent youth from walking or playing on the frozen lake.

The officials cautioned that moving on thin layer of ice is very risky and can result in slips, falls, fractures and fatal injuries. The shikarawala also faced tough time in rowing their boats in the frozen Dal. They had to break the ice to make way for their boats.

Not only Srinagar, night temperature remained many degrees below freezing point in other parts of the Valley. Kashmir at present is in a grip of 40-day harshest winter period known as Chilai Kalan. During this time, which starts on December 21 and ends on January 31, there are maximum chances of snowfall.

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