Coldwave grips Kashmir Valley, Shopian coldest at -10.2 degree Celsius
Summer capital Srinagar recorded 2.5 degree Celsius day temperature which is 6.5 degrees less than normal temperature
Night temperature dropped at most places in Kashmir as cold conditions triggered their grip on the Valley. Shopian in South Kashmir was coldest place in Kashmir with mercury dropping to -10.2 degree Celsius.
Summer capital Srinagar recorded 2.5 degree Celsius day temperature which is 6.5 degrees less than normal temperature. The mercury dipped to -4.4 degrees Celsius on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, down from the previous night’s -3.5 degrees Celsius, it added.
Gulmarg, a tourist resort town known for skiing activities in north Kashmir, recorded a low of -8.8 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night’s -11.5 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said. Gulmarg was the was the coldest recorded place in the valley. Pahalgam, one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir, registered a minimum of -7.6 degrees Celsius, slightly up from -8.4 degrees Celsius, it said. Tourists resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam also witnessed cold weather conditions.
Also Read | IMD predicts more snowfall this week as cold wave tightens grip over Kashmir
Shopian in South Kashmir recorded -10.2 degree Celsius during night, while Qazigund, known as gateway of Kashmir recorded 2.3 degree Celsius during day which was 6.6 below normal temperature.
According to the meteorological department, a feeble western disturbance is expected to affect Jammu and Kashmir from January 1-2, with light snow at scattered places from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning.
From January 3-6, a moderate western disturbance is expected to bring light to moderate snow to most places in the state, with peak activity from January 4-6. The MeT Office added that there is a possibility of heavy snow at a few places in the higher reaches during the second spell. Several district magistrates have issued an advisory ahead of fresh snowfall across Kashmir.
Jammu recorded 13 degrees during day which 5.7 degrees below normal temperature.
Also Read | Cold wave conditions continue in hill states
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ -- the harshest period of winter -- which began on December 21. During the 40 days of Chillai-Kalan, the chances of snowfall are highest, and the temperature drops considerably.
Chillai-Kalan ends on January 30, but the cold wave continues even after that. Chillai-Kalan is followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
With inputs from PTI
