Kashmir freezes with severe cold; moderate fog hits in Jammu
SRINAGAR: The Kashmir Valley continued to experience extreme cold wave conditions on Wednesday, with Pahalgam recording a low of minus 6.6°C. In the plains of Jammu, moderate fog also hindered visibility and caused problems for commuters, according to a meteorological department official. According to him, Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.8°C, the same as the night before, which was 2.7°C below average for this time of year for the summer capital of J&K. According to him, Qazigund recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.6°C as opposed to minus 4.4°C the night before. According to the MeT official, the minimum temperature was 1.8°C lower than usual for Kashmir's gateway town.In contrast to the previous night's low of minus 6.2°C, Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 6.6°C, which was typical for the well-known south Kashmir resort. According to the official, Kokernag, which is located in south Kashmir, saw a minimum temperature of minus 3.2°C, down from minus 2.7°C the night before. The temperature was also 0.3°C higher than usual for the area. According to the official, Kupwara town in north Kashmir saw a low of minus 5.3°C, down from minus 4.6°C the night before. This was 2.8°C below average. According to the official, Gulmarg saw a low of minus 3.8°C, down from minus 4.0°C the night before, and the temperature was 3.2°C higher than usual for the well-known north Kashmiri skiing resort. He said that Jammu recorded a minimum temperature of 7.0°C, which was 0.3°C below normal for the winter capital of J&K and 7.7°C the night before. A low of 1.6°C was recorded in Banihal, 2.6°C in Batote, and 0.3°C in Bhaderwah, he said. The Kashmir valley is experiencing "Chillai-Kalan," a severe 40-day winter season that ends on January 30. It does not, however, signal the end of winter. The next two periods are called "Chillai-Khurd," which lasts for 20 days from January 30 to February 19, and "Chillai-Bachha," or "baby cold," which lasts for 10 days from February 20 to March 1. The weatherman has mostly dry conditions through January 3. There could be "very light" snow over "isolated extreme higher reaches" and generally cloudy and dry weather over plains from January 4-5, he said. It is mostly predicted to be dry weather from January 6-7. "Overall, there is no significant weather activity till January 7," he stated. On January 8, he said, mostly cloudy weather is predicted with the chance of light rain or snow in a few isolated higher reaches. [caption id="attachment_8267" align="alignnone" width="300"] Kashmir freezes with severe cold; moderate fog hits in Jammu[/caption] …