After yet another chilly night, people in the Kashmir valleyfinally had a sigh of relief on Monday when Sun came out for the first timeafter more than a week of dense fog and snowfall.

However, Air traffic resumed on Saturday after remainingsuspended for seven days due to poor visibility while Srinagar-Jammu nationalhighway remained closed on Monday for the past four days due to landslides andsnow.

World famous ski resort of Gulmarg and Pahalgam were coldestafter the minimum temperature there was below minus ten degree.

However, Drass, the second coldest place in the world afterSiberia, was coldest in Union Territory (UT of Ladakh at minus 27.2 degreewhile at the minimum temperature was minus 16.7 degree. The Ladakh region,where all water bodies remained frozen, also remained cut off from the rest ofthe country following closure of Srinagar-Leh national highway for the past sixdays due to snow and slippery road condition.

A Met department spokesman said that weather will remainmainly dry in the Jammu and Kashmir

during the next 72 hours followed by scattered rain or snowon December 20.

People woke up to a sunny morning on Monday after witnessingyet another chilly night in summer capital,

Srinagar. However, the intensity of the heat was low due toicy cold winds as all surrounding hills in the city

are covered under a blanket of snow. People still could beseen wearing woollen and warm cloths besides used

electric gadgets and gas heaters for heating purpose.

Srinagar recorded minus 1.6 degree minimum temperature,about two notches colder than Sunday, when the maximum temperature was 5.8degree, 3.7 notches below normal.

He said the sky would be partly cloudy and the maximum andminimum temperatures would be around 9 degree and minus 3 degree in Srinagarduring the next 24 hours.

Water bodies and snow remained frozen in world famous skiresorts of Gulmarg and famed health resort of Pahalgam, where the minimumtemperature was below 10 degree.

At Gulmarg, 55 km from here in north Kashmir district ofBaramulla, the minimum temperature was minus 10 degree. The snow slopes, stillwaiting for skiers, adventure lovers and tourists, are under four to six feetof snow.

Pahalgam, which also serves as base camp for annualpilgrimage to holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, recordedminus 10.7 degree minimum temperature, lowest in the valley. The water level inriver Lidder, passing through Pahalgam, remained low due to freezing of snow onmountains.

Kokernag, a tourist spot in south Kashmir, recorded minus2.7 degree minimum temperature, Qazigund, gateway of Kashmir on Srinagar-Jammunational highway minus 1.8 degree and Kupwara in north Kashmir minus 0.7degree.