Srinagar, Jan 10 – The Kashmir Valley continues to experience a dry spell, contributing to freezing nights and milder-than-usual days, exacerbating bone-chilling conditions, officials reported on Wednesday.
Despite the dry weather, Srinagar recorded an unusually high maximum temperature of 14.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, surpassing the normal temperature for this time of the year by 8.1 degrees. Meanwhile, Jammu, the winter capital of the union territory, was colder than Srinagar, registering a high of 11.6 degrees Celsius, which was 6.5 degrees below the normal.
The city of Srinagar witnessed a drop in the minimum temperature to minus 5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night, down from minus 2.4 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night. Qazigund recorded a low of minus 4.4 degrees, and the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir experienced a minimum temperature of minus 5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night, slightly lower than the previous night.
Pahalgam, a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night’s minus 4.4 degrees Celsius.
Kokernag town settled at a minimum temperature of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara recorded minus 4.7 degrees Celsius.
The Kashmir region is currently in the grip of “Chilla-i-Kalan,” a 40-day harsh winter period marked by a cold wave that causes a significant drop in temperatures, leading to the freezing of water bodies and water in pipes. This period, ending on January 31, sees the highest chances of snowfall, especially in higher reaches.
Kashmir has been experiencing a prolonged dry spell, with a 79 percent rainfall deficit recorded for December. The first week of January saw no precipitation. Most plain areas in Kashmir have not witnessed snowfall, while the upper reaches received less snow than usual. The meteorological department predicts mainly dry weather until January 12.
Following “Chilla-i-Kalan,” cold conditions will persist with a 20-day “Chilla-i-Khurd” (small cold) and a 10-day “Chilla-i-Bachha” (baby cold).
