Srinagar: The night temperature plumetted further in Kashmir while Srinagar recorded the coldest night of the season yet again at minus 5.5 degree Celsius against 4.2°C on the previous night. Besides being the coldest lowest temperature this season, the mercury was 3.5°C below normal during this time of the year, the officials said.
Details state that intense cold wave had tightened its grip in Kashmir as most parts of the Valley recorded sub-zero temperature.
Several other areas including Pahalgam, Kokernag, Qazigund, Kupwara and others also recorded coldest night of the season.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 4.4°C against minus 4.2°C on the previous night. The temperature was 2.4°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, he said.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 6.8°C against minus 6.2°C on the previous night. Apart from being below normal by 1.8°C, it was also the coldest night this season in the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag also hit the season’s coldest temperature, recording a low of minus 3.3°C against minus 2.4°C on the previous night, he said. It was 1.2°C below normal for the place, he said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 5.2°C against minus 4.6°C on the previous night, the official said. It was 0.6°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the official said.
In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at minus 5.1°C against minus 4.4°C on the previous night, the official said. While being 2.5°C below normal, it was also the coldest temperature recorded so far in the north Kashmir area, he said.
Jammu recorded a low of 7.5°C against 6.3°C on the previous night. It was 0.7°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said. Banihal recorded a low of minus 1.2°C against last night’s 2.0°C (overall below normal by 2.1°C), Batote 1.1°C (2.1°C below normal), Katra 5.6°C (1.3°C below normal) and Bhadarwah minus 0.9°C (0.4°C below normal).
In Ladakh, Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 12.0°C and 12.8 °C respectively, the official said.
While Chillai-Kalan is in its infancy, it does not mean an end to the winter. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1.
