Mercury dipped in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh on Monday with Drass emerging as the coldest place in the region at minus 27.2 degrees Celsius, a Meteorological Department spokesperson said. The weatherman has forecast dry weather in the plains and the higher reaches of the two union territories for the next four days. Drass town, popularly known as‘the gateway to Ladakh’, recorded a minimum of minus 27.2 degrees Celsius,making it the coldest recorded place in the region, the spokesperson said.

The town is arguably the country’s coldest inhabited place,officials said. Drass plummeted to an unforgiving minus 60 degrees Celsius on January 9, 1995. The spokesperson said Leh town of Ladakh continued to freeze at a low of minus 16.7 degrees Celsius. Srinagar, which witnessed an unprecedented snowfall last week, marked a dip in the day and night temperatures which settled at 5.8 degrees Celsius and minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, respectively, he said. The famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the coldest recorded place in Kashmir at a minimum of minus 10.2 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 10 degrees Celsius, the spokesperson said. The minimum temperature in Jammu was 5.7 degrees Celsius, he said.

In Jammu region, Batote and Bhaderwah recorded the lowest temperatures of minus 1.9 and minus 1.7 degrees Celsius, the spokesperson said Katra, the famous town which serves as the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district, recorded a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius, the spokesperson said.