Srinagar, Jan 14: After a day of respite afforded by a weak western disturbance on Saturday, cold wave conditions returned to Kashmir as the thermometer dropped several degrees below freezing mark, officials said on Sunday. Due to a dry and mainly snow-free winter, Srinagar had temperatures exceeding eight degrees Celsius throughout the day, which is unusual for this time of year. This has led to chilly nights and warmer than typical days in Kashmir, according to officials. For almost a week now, Jammu, the Union territory’s winter capital, has experienced lower temperatures than Srinagar. According to them, the city of temples saw a low of 2.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday night, which was 4.5 degrees below average.The minimum temperature in Srinagar on Saturday night was minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, which was 4.4 degrees colder than the 0.2 degree temperature on Friday. They stated that while Gulmarg in north Kashmir registered – 1.2 degrees Celsius, Qazigund recorded a low of minus 4 degrees. A minimum temperature of minus 5.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in Pahalgam, which is one of the base camps for the yearly Amarnath Yatra and is located in the Anantnag region in south Kashmir. Kokernag town’s minimum temperature was recorded at minus 2.2 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara recorded minus 4 degrees Celsius. Currently, Kashmir is experiencing “Chilla-i-Kalan,” a 40-day severe winter season during which a cold wave saturates the area and low temperatures cause water in pipes and bodies of water to freeze. During this time, there is a greater likelihood of snowfall, and most places—especially the higher reaches—get a lot of snowfall.Due to the protracted dry season that Kashmir has been experiencing, there was a 79% decrease in rainfall in December and no precipitation in most of the valley during the first two weeks of January. The majority of Kashmir’s plains have not seen any snowfall, while the upper valley has had less snowfall than normal. Up until January 21, the meteorological department has mostly predicted dry weather. The last day of “Chilla-i-Kalan” is January 31. After that, though, there will be two more cold spells: a 10-day “Chilla-i-Bachha” and a 20-day “Chilla-i-Khurd” (little cold).
