SRINAGAR: Winter has arrived early in Kashmir this year, with bone-chilling temperatures gripping the Valley weeks ahead of schedule. A prevailing dry spell combined with the La Niña effect has pushed night-time temperatures in Srinagar down to –3.1°C, and forecasters warn of even colder nights ahead.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir, recorded –3.1°C on Sunday night, a sharp deviation from the seasonal norm of around 0.1°C. This marks the second consecutive night that temperatures in the city have dipped below –3°C.

The cold was even more severe in other parts of the Valley. Shopian in South Kashmir recorded –5.4°C, while temperatures fell to –4.4°C in Pahalgam, –3.8°C in Sonamarg, and –1.2°C in the ski resort of Gulmarg.

With clear skies and persistent dry weather, the cold wave has intensified across the region.

Residents say that though November is usually cold, temperatures rarely fall below freezing. “This year the winter has arrived early, and so has the bone-chilling cold,” said Zahoor Ahmad, a Srinagar local. “Normally in November, the temperature would stay above freezing point at night, but this time we are witnessing intense cold, with temperatures regularly dropping well below zero.”