Rehan Showkat
Srinagar, Jan 7 (GNS): Srinagar experienced season’s coldest night with mercury plummeting to minus 5.6°C as freezing conditions show no signs of reprieve in Kashmir Valley on Sunday.
A meteorological department official here told GNS that the temperature dropped by two more notches compared to last night and it was 3.7°C below normal for the summer capital of J&K for this time of the year.
He said the minimum temperature of minus 5.6°C in the city surpassed that of minus 5.4°C recorded on December 13 last year and January 6 this year.
Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 5.0°C against minus 4.6°C on the previous night, he said. The minimum temperature was 1.9°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, the MeT official said.
Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 6.5°C against minus 6.3°C on the previous night and it was 0.5°C above normal for the famous resort in south Kashmir.
Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum of minus 2.7°C against minus 2.9°C on the previous night and the temperature was above normal by 1.3°C for the place, the official said.
Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.3°C against minus 5.4°C on the previous night and it was 2.6°C below normal there, the official said.
Gulmarg, the official said, recorded a low of minus 4.4°C against minus 4.5°C on the previous night and the temperature was 3.4°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir.
Jammu, he said, recorded a minimum of 3.4°C against 4.1°C on previous night, and it was below normal by 4.0°C and the coldest night this season for the winter capital of J&K.
Banihal recorded a low of minus 2.2°C, Batote 2.1°C and Bhaderwah minus 0.2°C, he said.
Kashmir valley is under ‘Chillai-Kalan’, the 40-day harsh period of winter, which will end on January 30. However it does not mean an end to the winter. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1.
The weatherman said that ‘generally dry weather’ is expected till January 8 while generally cloudy weather is expected with possibility of light rain/snow over “extreme isolated higher reaches” on January 9. From January 10-14, he said, generally dry weather is expected. “Overall no significant weather activity is expected till January 14.” (GNS)
