Kashmir Valley continues to reel under intense cold conditions as Srinagar recorded a low of minus 5.9°C while mercury settled at minus 8.4°C in Pahalgam, the world famous tourist resort, the weatherman said on Saturday.
In Ladakh, Kargil remained the coldest with the minimum temperature plunging to minus 20.4°C while Leh recorded a low o 15.6°C, a meteorological department (MeT) official said.
He said that the minimum temperature in Srinagar was five notches higher than the previous night’s minus 6.4°C. So far the season’s coldest night in Srinagar was recorded on December 19 last when the mercury plunged to minus 6.6°C.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 7.5°C against minus 9.0 on the previous night, the official said.
Pahalgam was the coldest place in the Valley at minus 8.4°C and on the previous night, the mercury had settled at a low of minus 7.8°C. Qazigund recorded minus 6.1°C against minus 5.7°C on the earlier night, Kupwara recorded minus 6.1°C while Kokernag recorded a low of minus 6.4°C, the official said.
Kashmir is in the middle Chillai-Kalan, the forty-day winter period which commenced on 21 December and ends on 31 January. The period is considered the harshest of the winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum.
The cold wave, however, continues even after that in Kashmir with a twenty-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd‘ (small cold) and a ten-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha‘ (baby cold). The weatherman has forecast mainly dry weather over Jammu and Kashmir for the next couple of days.
From 4 January there is a possibility of widespread snow and rain across the Valley with main activity on 5 January, the MeT official said.
“There would be scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rain/snow/thundershowers,” the official said regarding the outlook for the next two days.
Due to harsh weather conditions, people are facing a lot of problems. The water supply has been disrupted with frozen taps becoming a common sight now.
The frequent power cuts, scheduled or unscheduled, only amplify the cold and add to the discomfort of the people. Some portions of the Dal Lake were also frozen due to the plunge in mercury overnight. (GNS)
