Jammu, Dec 25:
Residents of Jammu woke up to a chilly Tuesday morning as the mercury plunged to 4.1 degrees Celsius the season’s lowest so far. Earlier on December 17, the city of temples had recorded a low of 4.4 degrees Celsius. The upward trend in the mercury marked a dip on Monday when the night temperature settled at 5.3 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night’s 6.7 degrees Celsius, a Meteorological department (Met) spokesperson said. The night temperature is on a decline across the Jammu region, with the minimum temperature in Banihal and Batote, along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, and Bhaderwah, in Doda district, slipping to sub-zero levels, he said. Banihal, the gateway to Kashmir, was the coldest recorded place in the region with a low of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius, followed by Bhaderwah at minus 2.2 degrees Celsius and Batote at minus 2 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said. He said Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the famous cave shrine of Vaishno Devi in Reasi district, recorded a low of 5 degrees Celsius, down from 6 degrees Celsius the previous night.