After the snowfall, clear skies bring cold wave back during night
By: Muzamil Bhat CK
Srinagar
Night temperatures have started falling again and in most of the places of Kashmir valley and Drass, during night minus temperatures have been recorded by the officials.
The fresh cold wave has been triggered by the clear skies after the recent snowfall and in the most far flung areas of Kashmir valley, the fresh snow has frozen due to the minus temperatures during the night.
Although the coldest spell of the winter known as Chillai Kalan is coming to an end in the few days, there is no respite in the minus temperatures during the nights due to the cold wave which has engulfed not only Kashmir but the parts of Ladakh also.
According to news agencies in their weather report it said as follows.
The minimum temperature across Kashmir plunged below the freezing point with the tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam reeling under extreme cold, officials said here on Thursday.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.3 degrees Celsius down from 1.3 degrees Celsius the previous night, they said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 10 degrees Celsius slightly up from minus 10.4 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Pahalgam, which also serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 10.9 degrees Celsius down from the previous night’s minus 5.6 degrees Celsius, they said.
The officials said Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 0.2 degrees Celsius, while the nearby south Kashmir town of Kokernag recorded a low of minus 4.3 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius.
In the Ladakh region, Drass town had minus 25.6, Leh minus 13.9 and Kargil minus 17.8 as the night’s lowest temperature.
Kashmir valley is currently under the grip of the 40-day harshest winter period known as ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ which began on December 21 last year.
‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ is a period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably leading to the 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 a 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
With Agencies inputs
