Srinagar: A day ahead of the 40-day-long harshest part of the winter “Chilai Kalan” to commence Kashmir valley is in a grip of severe cold with Srinagar experiencing yet another coldest night of the season on Tuesday.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, experienced yet another coldest night of the season on Tuesday with temperature recorded at minus 3.4 degree Celsius against the minus 3.1 degree Celsius the previous night. It was minus 1.9 degree Celsius below normal during this period of the season.
This is for the third time during this month that the minimum temperature in Srinagar plunged to minus 3.4 degree Celsius. On December 5 and December 14 Srinagar recorded the similar temperature of the season.
The 40 day-long harshest part of the winter, locally known as “Chilai Kalan” , is likely to commence on a dry note from midnight December 21.
The Meteorological Department forecast dry weather to continue in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.
Pahalgam in south Kashmir continued to be the coldest part of the Kashmir valley with minimum temperature plummeting to minus 5.4 degree Celsius on Tuesday against the minus 4.8 degree Celsius recorded a day ago. It was minus 1.0 degree Celsius below normal for the tourist hot spot during this time of the season.
Ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir had a low of minus 4.0 against the minus 2.5 degree Celsius recorded the previous night. it was still 0.8 degree Celsius above normal for the valley of meadow during this period of the season.
Qazigund on Srinagar-Jammu national highway recorded a low of minus 3.6 degree Celsius against 3.2 degree Celsius the previous night while Kukernag recorded a low of minus 1.8 degree Celsius against minus 0.7 degree Celsius a day ago.
The frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara dipped to minus 3.9 degree Celsius against minus 3.5 degree Celsius recorded the previous night which was minus 1.5 degree Celsius below normal for the place in north Kashmir, the MeT office said.
