Ahead of Chillai Kalan, biting cold wave sweeps Kashmir

Just a day ahead of 'Chillai Kalan', mercury in Kashmir and Ladakh region plummeted further on Thursday as Srinagar shivered at minus 4.8 degrees Celsius.

A MeT department official said the minimum temperature in Srinagar dipped to minus 4.8 degrees Celsius as compared to previous night’s minus 2.8 degrees. The sub-zero temperature has resulted in partial freezing of famous Dal Lake and other water bodies in the city.

Leh town in frontier Ladakh region witnessed bone-chilling minus 14.7 degrees Celsius as against previous night’s minus 6.0 degrees, he said.

The minimum temperature in south Kashmir’s tourist resort of Pahalgam, which serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra, was minus 6.8 degrees Celsius while it was slightly better in north Kashmir’s ski resort of Gulmarg at minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, the official said.

With a 40-day period of harshest winter, locally known as the ‘Chillai Kalan’, set to begin on Friday, the weather office has predicted a further dip in the temperatures.

“Present weather conditions are likely to continue for the next few days across Jammu and Kashmir and a further fall in night temperatures would occur during this period,” the official said.