6 spots in India that are currently freezing, with temperatures dipping close to –20°C

Winter has gripped the Himalayan belt of India hard, with temperatures dipping to well below zero in many places. Even as many parts of the country are waking up to chilly mornings and battling cold waves, a few high-altitude destinations are reeling under severe winter conditions, with temperatures dropping to double-digit sub-zero. Those areas, defined by elevation, terrain and the length of winter nights, are currently some of the coldest inhabited places in India.
Here are six places in India that have turned very cold, with temperatures falling as low as –20°C.

Kargil is located 234 km to the west of Leh, and is known for enduring long, harsh winters every year. It's this time of year when snow stays on the town for long periods, and temperatures plummet at night. The mountains close in the cold air, so winters are extremely severe. Days of work dramatically slow with the freezing of roads and blockage of water sources.

Spiti Valley is a cold desert where winter rules for almost six months. The valley sitting at a considerable altitude, cools quickly after the sun goes down. –17°C has been recorded today, which is not a rarity here at the height of winter, with many villages sealed off by snow-covered roads and frozen land.

Leh, the capital of Ladakh, has plunged into double-digit sub-zero temperatures. The winters are dry but very cold here, and the clear skies cause heat loss to be at a significant level during the night. But even in the daytime, sunlight provides little warmth and frozen waterpipes, lakes and streams last for weeks on end.

Gulmarg, a winter tourist hotspot, too is in the grip of arctic-like cold conditions but temperatures there are still milder compared to Ladakh and Spiti. The town is solidly under freezing at –3°C and it’s snowing heavily. Gulmarg remains an icy wonderland covered in snow as the winter chills freeze meadows and trails.

Known to be one of India’s coldest inhabited places, Dras is reporting temperatures close to –20°C right now. While the town is located in a narrow valley, there’s little sunlight during the winters and thus cold air settles for days on end. These are the circumstances that have made Dras infamous for its abominable winter cold, which strains everything from infrastructure to ordinary life.

Even though it is situated at a lower elevation than Leh, Nubra Valley too, has been reeling under intense cold. At -15°C, desert-like conditions and exposure make for plummeting night-time temperatures in the valley. Sand dunes, ice-choked rivers and snow-powdered villages make up the winter landscape here.