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Kashmir records hottest June in 47 years

Srinagar, Jul 3: Kashmir recorded its hottest June in nearly five decades as a prolonged dry spell and 50 percent rainfall deficit triggered an intense and sustained heatwave across the Valley, according to meteorological data. Srinagar registered an average maximum temperature of 33 degrees Celsius last month - at least three degrees above normal - making it the hottest June since 1978. The average minimum temperature also remained elevated at 18.2 degrees Celsius. "This June mimicked the extreme heat of 1978, although peak temperatures were slightly lower," said Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of the Meteorological Department in Srinagar. "For 10 days, maximum temperatures in Srinagar exceeded 34 degrees Celsius." The highest temperature of the month - 36 degrees Celsius - was recorded on June 20 and June 24. Other notably hot days included June 19, 21, 23, and 30, each touching 35 degrees Celsius. According to independent weather forecaster Faizan Arif, June 2025 was the second-hottest on record for Srinagar since temperature observations began in 1892. "Srinagar just witnessed its hottest June since 1978, and second hottest since 1892," he said. "The average maximum temperature for June stood at 31 degrees Celsius and the mean minimum at 18.2 degrees Celsius, resulting in an overall average temperature of 24.6 degrees Celsius. The only hotter June on record was in 1978, when the average temperature hit 25 degrees Celsius, driven by a mean maximum of 32.9 degrees Celsius and a lower mean minimum of 17.1 degrees Celsius." Interestingly, the year 2008 still holds the record for the highest mean minimum temperature for June at 18.3 degrees Celsius, marginally above this year's figure. Historical records show that June 1978 brought five consecutive days of extreme heat in Srinagar: June 26 with 37.5 degrees Celsius, June 27 with 37.6 degrees Celsius, June 28 with 37 degrees Celsius, June 29 with 37.8 degrees Celsius (hottest on record), and June 30 with 36.7 degrees Celsius. "While the peak temperatures in some past years were higher, what makes June 2025 stand out is the persistence of the heat. There were barely any cooling spells," Arif said. The intense heat has been attributed primarily to a prolonged dry spell and a significant shortfall in rainfall. The Meteorological Department reported a 50 percent rainfall deficit in Kashmir, compared to a 24 percent deficit in the Jammu region. "The lack of precipitation prevented any cooling and sustained the heatwave," Ahmad said. However, noted geologist and earth scientist Prof Shakeel Ahmad Romshoo, said the prolonged dry spell was the immediate trigger, but the broader cause lies in shifting atmospheric circulation patterns driven by climate change. "There is reduced atmospheric moisture over J&K from western disturbances and the Indian monsoon. Most of the rainfall over the past two months came from localised convective systems," he said. In Qazigund in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, June 2025 was the warmest in over 50 years. The station recorded a mean maximum temperature of 30.3 and a mean minimum of 16.1 degrees Celsius, resulting in an average of 23.2°C - the highest since 1973. Back in 1973, Qazigund recorded its hottest June with a 23.7 degrees Celsius overall average, including slightly higher values of 30.4 degrees Celsius (mean maximum) and 16.9 degrees Celsius (mean minimum). The June 1978 average in Qazigund also matched this year's 23.2 degrees Celsius. The warmest average minimum temperature for Qazigund remains 17.3 degrees Celsius, recorded in 1971, when the overall mean temperature stood at 23.3 degrees Celsius. The unrelenting heat and rain deficit have caused water shortages in parts of Kashmir. Drinking water supply has been severely affected, and several irrigation canals have dried up, leaving farmers, particularly in south Kashmir, distressed amid the ongoing agricultural season.

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