Cold wave tightens grip as Srinagar shivers at minus 6.4 degree Celsius

File photo of a fisherman casting his net at Dal Lake during a cold winter morning, in Srinagar. Credit: PTI Photo

As the 40-day harshest winter period of ‘Chilai Kalan’ is going on, Kashmir continues to reel under a severe cold wave with Srinagar recording the coldest night of the season, as the temperature plummeted to minus 6.4°C on Thursday.

A meteorological department official said the mercury went down in Srinagar from previous night’s minus 5.2°C to minus 6.4°C. Overall, it was below minus 4.3°C than the normal for this time of the year and surpassed the previous lowest temperature this season that was recorded on December 25 when mercury plummeted to minus 5.8°C in Srinagar.

In other places of the Valley too, the mercury was recorded at very low levels. In south Kashmir’s Pahalgam hill resort, which serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra, a minimum of minus 9.2°C was recorded while north Kashmir’s ski-resort Gulmarg witnessed a low of minus 7.5°C degrees, he said.

Water bodies, including Dal Lake in Srinagar, have partially frozen due to the cold wave. The drinking water taps and supply pipes have also frozen at many places, leading to water shortage.

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Leh, in the frontier region of Ladakh, recorded minus 15.1°C while neighboring Kargil recorded a bone chilling low of minus 19.2°C.

The MeT department has said that “mainly dry weather is expected till January 8 in Kashmir.” However, a Western Disturbance (WB) is likely to affect the Valley during December 8 to 10, leading to moderate to heavy snowfall in Kashmir.

The Chilla-i-Kalan is the 40-day harshest winter period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably leading to freezing of water bodies as well as the water supply lines.

The chances of snowfall are the most frequent and maximum during this period and most areas, especially in the higher reaches, receive heavy snowfall.

While Chillai-Kalan begins on December 21, it will end on January 30. 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).