Kashmir Valley In Grip Of Severe Cold Wave

The minimum temperature in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, settled at minus 3.4 degrees Celsius – half-a-degree down from the previous night, the officials said.

The MET Office has predicted that the minimum temperature is likely to drop further in the region in the next few days. PTI Photo/S. Irfan

The night temperature settled several degrees below normal for this part of the season. Gulmarg, the famous skiing resort in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, was the only place in the valley where the night temperature improved on Thursday night, the officials said. The resort recorded a low of minus 10.5 degrees Celsius, slightly up from minus 11.0 degrees Celsius.

It was for the sixth straight night that the minimum temperature has settled at minus 10 degrees Celsius or below, the officials said. Pahalgam in south Kashmir Anantnag district, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 10.3 degrees Celsius, a degree down from the previous night, they said.

They said Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, recorded the minimum of minus 7.8 degrees Celsius, while the nearby south Kashmir town of Kokernag recorded a low of minus 7.5 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius. The MET Office said the weather is likely to stay mainly dry over the next few days and the minimum temperature is likely to drop further. Kashmir valley is currently under the grip of the 40-day harshest winter period known as 'Chilla-i-Kalan' which began on December 21.

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Chilla-i-Kalan' is a period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies including the famous Dal Lake here as well as the water supply lines in several parts of the valley.

The chances of snowfall are the most frequent and maximum during this period and most areas, especially in the higher reaches, receive heavy to very heavy snowfall. The 'Chilla-i-Kalan' will end on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day-long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).