Kashmir continued to reel under intense cold conditions as night temperatures plunged several degrees below the freezing point across most parts of the Valley, officials said on Thursday. However, a few places, including Srinagar, recorded night temperatures slightly warmer than the seasonal average.
In Srinagar, the minimum temperature settled at minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, compared to 0.1 degrees Celsius the previous night. Despite the drop, the temperature remained 0.3 degrees above the seasonal norm, officials said.
Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district emerged as the coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir, recording a minimum of minus 11.2 degrees Celsius, down from minus 9.8 degrees Celsius the previous night. The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district registered a low of minus 9 degrees Celsius.
In south Kashmir, Pahalgam — a key tourist destination and one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra — recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.5 degrees Celsius. Qazigund, the gateway town to the Valley, saw the mercury settle at zero degrees Celsius, while Kokernag recorded minus 0.6 degrees and Kupwara minus 3.5 degrees Celsius.
The Valley is nearing the end of ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, the harshest 40-day winter period marked by extreme cold and the highest probability of snowfall. Chilla-i-Kalan, which began on December 21, is set to conclude on January 30. However, cold conditions are expected to persist even after its end.
The severe phase is followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold), during which cold weather continues, though with reduced intensity.
The Meteorological Department said the weather is likely to remain cloudy but dry till January 31. It also forecast that a fresh western disturbance may affect the region on February 1, potentially bringing another spell of wet weather.
