Srinagar, July 6 -- Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar recorded its hottest day in 72 years on Saturday. The meteorological (MeT) centre in Srinagar said the city recorded 37.4degC , the third highest maximum temperature in the city's history. "The second highest temperature in Srinagar has been 37.7degC which was recorded on July 5, 1953 while the all-time highest temperature of 38.3degC over Srinagar was observed on July 10, 1946," said MeT (Srinagar) director Mukhtar Ahmad. The southern resort of Kokernag witnessed a maximum temperature of 34degC, the second highest ever maximum temperature for the July month after the hottest ever of 34.1degC was observed on July 28, 2024. "In Pahalgam tourist resort, 31.6degC was recorded," he said. Kashmir valley witnessed multiple bouts of heatwave this summer - first between May 18 to 27 and then from June 9 onwards - breaking decades old temperature records and severely affecting the life of the people not used to such high temperatures. Nazir Ahmad, a 57-year-old vegetable farmer in Srinagar, said that he has never experienced such hot weather in his life. Not only this month so far, the Jammu and Kashmir summer capital Srinagar has also recorded the hottest June month since 1978 and second hottest since 1892, the MeT has said. The average maximum mean temperature for this month stood at 31degC, just below 32.9degC which was recorded in June 1978. Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a meteorologist in Srinagar, said, the weather this season has been unusually hot owing to less snowfall in winter, dry weather in spring and absence of monsoon moisture currents over Kashmir in summer. "The Jammu division has been receiving monsoon rains regularly while the Kashmir division has been hotter due to absence of moisture currents which only reach Reasi, Katra and Pir Panjal (mountain) region," Bhat said. He said that the valley received deficit snowfall in winter which melted immediately in March due to above average temperatures. Agriculture director Sartaj Ahmad Shah said that they have started assessing the damage to the agriculture sector due to the hot weather and scant rainfall....