SRINAGAR: The night temperature across Kashmir division, including Ladakh, dropped by several degrees, ending the four-day-long respite from the bone chilling cold.
The twin towns of Leh and Kargil in frontier region of Ladakh recorded a dip of seven degrees in the minimum temperature which settled at minus 10 degrees Celsius at both the places, a MeT official said.
The minimum temperature in the summer capital Srinagar also settled at minus 3.8 degrees Celsius against the previous night’s minus 0.4 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam hill resort, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, was the coldest place in Kashmir where the night temperature fell by almost five degrees to settle at minus 6.4 degrees Celsius.
Gulmarg – the famous ski resort in north and the star attraction for tourists visiting the Valley during winter, experienced a low of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius.
The night temperature recorded at Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, and Kokernag hill resort in south Kashmir was minus 3.2 and minus 2.1 degrees Celsius respectively.
Kashmir Valley is currently going through ‘Chillai-Kalan’, which begins with Winter Solstice on December 21, and is the period when the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent.
The weather remains cold during this period as the day temperature also dip drastically, freezing most of the water bodies, including the famous Dal Lake.
This year, the cold wave in the Valley began earlier than the normal period of ‘Chillai Kalan’, with the minimum in Srinagar plummeting to over four degrees below the freezing point on December 11.
Though ‘Chillai-Kalan’ would end on January 31, the winter continues after that. The 40-day harshest period would be followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai Bachha’ (baby cold). (agencies)
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