Night temperatures dip further as cold wave engulfs Kashmir
By: Muzamil Bhat CK
Srinagar
Cold wave conditions have deepened in entire Kashmir especially the night temperatures have dipped further, making life difficult for the common people living here.
In this intense cold period, night temperatures have shown further dip to minus because of the clear skies and dry weather.
Sunshine during the day time is now usual and it gives at least some relief and respite from the cold wave conditions during the day time.
It also kills the dullness of the nights as the minus temperatures have proved lethal for the aged persons and children.
With the covid wave showing a surge, due to the weekend curfew, the hustle bustle of life evaporated from the Srinagar city as the authorities imposed the curfew and forced the shopkeepers to close.
According to the PTI in its news report on Saturday regarding the weather conditions it has said as follows.
The intense cold wave conditions continued in Kashmir as the minimum temperature settled several degrees below freezing point, officials said here on Saturday.
The night temperature was several degrees below the normal for this part of the season.
The mercury in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, settled at minus 4.5 degrees Celsius down from the previous night’s minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, they said.
Gulmarg, the famous skiing resort in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 9.5 degrees Celsius up a degree from the previous night.
Pahalgam in south Kashmir Anantnag district, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 11.4 degrees Celsius down from the previous night’s minus 10.3 degrees Celsius, they said.
The resort was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir.
The officials said Qazigund, the gateway town to the Valley, recorded the minimum of minus 7.6 degrees Celsius, while the nearby south Kashmir town of Kokernag recorded a low of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius.
The mercury in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 5.0 degrees Celsius.
The MeT Office said the weather is likely to stay mainly dry over the next few days and the minimum temperature may drop further.
Kashmir Valley is currently under the grip of the 40-day harshest winter period known as ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ which began on December 21.
‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ is a period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably leading to freezing of water bodies, including the famous Dal Lake here as well as the water supply lines in several parts of the Valley.
The chances of snowfall are the most frequent and maximum during this period and most areas, especially in the higher reaches, receive heavy to very heavy snowfall.
The ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ will end on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
With PTI inputs
