Srinagar: Despite a slight rise in the mercury in the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday, the outbreak of severe cold continued.
Srinagar recorded minus 4.4 degrees Celsius as against last night’s minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, a Met official said. The official said today’s minimum temperature was 2.3 degrees Celsius below normal in the summer capital. Srinagar witnessed the coldest temperature of the season so far on December 25 when the mercury dropped to minus 5.8 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius as against the previous night’s minus 5.8 degrees Celsius. He said the temperature was 2.1 degrees Celsius below normal for the gateway city of Kashmir.
He said Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius last night, the coldest night of the season in the popular tourist destination in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. He said that today’s minimum temperature was 0.6 degree Celsius below normal.
Kokernag recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.1 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 4.6 degrees Celsius the previous night, he said. It was 0.6 degree Celsius below normal for the place, he said.
The official said Gulmarg recorded minus 9.2 degrees Celsius, the coldest so far this season, as against minus 10.0 degrees Celsius last night. The temperature for the world-famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district was 2.2 degrees Celsius below normal, the official said.
The mercury in Kupwara town was minus 4.1 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 5.7 degrees Celsius in the north Kashmir region last night, he said. The official said the minimum temperature was 2.8 degrees Celsius below normal.
Jammu recorded a minimum temperature of 3.6 degrees Celsius as against the previous night’s 4.2 degrees Celsius. He said the minimum temperature for the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir was 3.7 degrees Celsius below normal.
The minimum temperature in Banihal was minus 1.4 degrees Celsius (1.6 degrees Celsius below normal), Batote 0.1 degrees Celsius (1.9 degrees Celsius below normal), Katra 5.0 degrees Celsius (1.3 degrees Celsius below normal) and Bhaderwah 0.2 degrees Celsius. Celsius (0.7 °C) was recorded. C below normal).
Leh and Kargil in Ladakh recorded minimum temperatures of minus 14.0 degrees Celsius and minus 17.2 degrees Celsius, respectively, the official said.
Kashmir is in the grip of Chillai-Kalan, a 40-day period of harsh winter which began on December 21. It doesn’t even mean the end of winter. This is followed by a 20-day long period of ‘Chillai-Khurd’ which occurs between 30 January to 19 February and a 10-day long period of ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (Baby Cold) which occurs from 20 February to 1 March . ,
With regard to the forecast, the meteorological department official said that mainly clear weather is expected till January 6. “The minimum temperature is expected to drop further in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. The weather is expected to be cloudy with chances (70% chance) of snowfall and rain (over the plains of Jammu) at many places over Jammu and Kashmir.
