SRINAGAR, Jan 13: According to officials on Saturday, the Gurez sector in Bandipora district experienced moderate snowfall overnight, breaking the Valley’s protracted dry spell, even though minimum temperatures in numerous locations increased slightly. There was little snowfall in the Gurez area of north Kashmir on Friday night as a result of a weak western disturbance that struck Jammu and Kashmir, according to reports. According to reports, Drass in Ladakh also saw extremely little snowfall, although there was none that accumulated. In December, Jammu and Kashmir had a 79% rainfall deficit. Additionally, there was no precipitation throughout the first week of January.Because of the gloomy skies, the minimum temperature increased in some areas of the Valley. The nighttime low reached a few degrees higher than typical for this season. The minimum temperature in Srinagar city on Friday night was 0.2 degrees Celsius, which is a rise from the minus 4 degrees Celsius the night before. At its lowest, Qazigund registered – 2 degrees. Gulmarg, a ski resort, saw a low of – 1 degree Celsius on Thursday night, up from minus 3.2 degrees. One of the base camps for the yearly Amarnath Yatra, Pahalgam in the Anantnag region of south Kashmir, reported a minimum temperature of – 0.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, up from minus 5.3 degrees Celsius the night before. Kokernag town had a minimum temperature of minus 1.2 degrees Celsius, whereas Kupwara recorded a minimum temperature of negative 0.3 degrees Celsius. Currently, Kashmir is experiencing “Chilla-i-Kalan,” a 40-day severe winter season that causes water in pipelines and other bodies of water to freeze as a result of a cold wave that sweeps the area. During this time, there is a greater likelihood of snowfall, and most places—especially the higher reaches—get a lot of snowfall. 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).
