Srinagar witnesses coldest day of the season Even as the Kashmir valley continues to reel under severe cold, the government today sounded an avalanche warning following last week’s snowfall. “On the basis of information received from the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), a medium avalanche alert has been issued for higher reaches in the Kashmir valley,” Coordinator Natural Disaster Management Cell Aamir Ali said here. The official said the areas prone to avalanches included those close to the Line of Control (LoC) i.e. Macchil, Tangdhar, Keran, Drass and Gurez. He said Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam in south Kashmir and north Kashmir areas of Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, besides Kargil in the Ladakh region, were also prone to avalanches. People living in these areas have been advised to not to travel during snowfall or venture onto steep slopes close to the avalanche-prone areas. The Valley continued to reel under severe cold wave conditions, after some respite from the snowfall last week. All regions of the Valley witnessed temperatures below freezing point last night. As a result, peripheries of the Dal Lake froze and the residents complained of frozen waterlines. The skiing resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded a minimum temperature of -16.2 °C, a MeT official said. Srinagar city recorded a minimum temperature of -2.8 °C, while Qazigund in south Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of -4.8 °C. Srinagar witnessed the coldest day of the season, as it recorded a maximum temperature of -1 °C. The minimum temperatures at the tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir and the border town of Kupwara stood at -11.4 and -4.2 °C, respectively. The MeT office has forecast light to moderate snow in the upper reaches of the Valley during the next 24 hours. Prone Zones Areas near the Line of Control i.e. Macchil, Tangdhar, Keran, Drass and Gurez; besides Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam in south Kashmir; Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora in north Kashmir; and Kargil in the Ladakh region have been cited as avalanche-prone zones.