Srinagar, Dec 21: The 40-day-long period of harsh winter, ‘Chillai Kalan’ which started in Kashmir on Saturday unleashed its icy grip, freezing Kashmir to the core.
On the first night of the ‘Chillai Kalan’, overnight temperatures across the Kashmir Valley dropped several degrees below the freezing point, the meteorological centre Srinagar said.
The summer capital of Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 8.5 degrees celsius marking the coldest night since 1974, when it reached minus 10.3°C. The record for the lowest temperature remains minus 12.8°C, set on December 13, 1964.
An Independent weather observer, Faizan Arif, said that today’s temperature stands as the third-lowest December reading in Srinagar since 1891.
He said that Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded minus 7.2°C, which is the lowest December temperature since 1998. The all-time record stands at minus 9.4°C recorded on 31 December 1986. Overall, today’s temperature is the ninth lowest recorded in Kupwara district in December.
The other plains have recorded the season’s coldest night so far, while many hilly areas remained warmer than the Kashmir plains due to the absence of snow cover. In north Kashmir’s Gulmarg resort, the minimum temperature plunged to -6.2°C, while Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded a biting low of -8.6°C.
Met said Qazigund, Kokernag, Pulwama and Shopian in south Kashmir stood at -8.2°C, -5.8°C, -10.3 °C and 10.4°C.
Over the last few weeks, the Kashmir valley has been recording sub-zero temperature.
In Jammu, the cold wave also intensified, with Jammu city registering a minimum temperature of 5.4°C and Banihal dipping to -4.4°C.
The ‘Chillai-Kalan,’ the 40-day period known for its freezing weather and snow spells , begins each year on December 21 and lasts until January 30.
According to the Met, the cold wave is expected to persist in isolated areas of Kashmir.
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