At minus 13.7, Pahalgam now coldest places in Kashmir

Mercury in Kashmir Valley plummeted further on Thursday with night temperature in Pahalgam and Gulmarg resorts plummeting to minus 13 degrees Celsius.

A MeT department official said the minimum temperature in Srinagar dipped to minus 3 degrees Celsius as compared to previous night’s minus 0.1 degrees.

The minimum temperature in south Kashmir’s tourist resort of Pahalgam, which serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra, was minus 13.7 degrees Celsius while in north Kashmir’s ski resort of Gulmarg at minus 13.6 degrees Celsius, he said. Pahalgam was the coldest recorded place in the Valley.

With a 40-day period of harshest winter, locally known as the ‘Chilla Kalan’, in progress, the weather office has predicted further dip in the temperatures. ‘Chillai-Kalan’ began on December 21 and ends on January 30, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).

“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.