Srinagar, Feb 8: Meteorological data from the Meteorological Centre Srinagar revealed that numerous areas in Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar city, experienced the warmest January in 43 years. Despite this, Srinagar city encountered the second driest January in four decades, with only 3.0 mm of precipitation recorded during the month.
The lowest precipitation in the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir occurred in January 2018, with a mere 1.2 mm of rainfall or snowfall. Data indicates that the mean maximum temperature (Tmax) in January for Srinagar was 11.9 degrees Celsius, while for Gulmarg in north Kashmir and Banihal in Ramban district, it stood at 5.7 degrees Celsius and 16.9 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Jammu city also recorded its lowest mean maximum temperature for January in over four decades.
According to the Meteorological Centre, January 2024 marked one of the driest and warmest Januarys in the past 43 years for most stations in Jammu and Kashmir, except for those in the plains of Jammu (Jammu, Samba, and Kathua).
Jammu station observed a mean maximum temperature of 13.4 degrees Celsius in January, the lowest since 1983.
The mean minimum temperatures for January observed over Srinagar, Jammu, Gulmarg, and Banihal were recorded at minus 3.2 degrees Celsius, 5.5 degrees Celsius, minus 3.9 degrees Celsius, and 0.1 degrees Celsius, respectively. The MET centre noted that the mean minimum temperature for Gulmarg in January 2024 was among the highest recorded in the last 43 years.
