Srinagar witnesses season’s coldest day as mercury drops to minus 6.2 degrees; cold wave lashes region

Srinagar: Cold wave tightened its grip on Kashmir with the night temperature in Srinagar dipping slightly to settle at the season’s lowest of minus 6.2 degrees Celsius. [caption id=“attachment_4286695” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded its coldest night this winter at minus 6.2 degrees Celsius — marginally down from minus 6.1 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night, an official of the MeT department said. This was for the third straight day that the minimum temperature has settled at minus 6.0 degrees Celsius or below in Srinagar city, where many water bodies have partially frozen due to intense cold conditions. The fringes of the famous Dal Lake were also frozen in the early hours but bright sunshine — along with the maximum temperature staying above 10 degrees Celsius for the past two days — has given some respite to the people during the day time. Elsewhere in the valley, the minimum temperatures stayed several degrees below the freezing point. While the night temperature in Qazigund, in south Kashmir, stayed at a low of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius, same as the previous night, the neighbouring Kokernag town saw mercury rise marginally to minus 3.4 degrees Celsius compared to yesterday’s minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, the official said. He said Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.6 degrees Celsius, almost similar to previous night’s minus 5.5 degrees Celsius. Gulmarg — the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir — recorded a low of minus 7.6 degrees Celsius, up three degrees from minus 10.6 degrees Celsius the previous night. The night temperature in Pahalgam, the famous health resort which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra — increased marginally from minus 8.1 degrees Celsius the previous night to settle at minus 7.6 degrees Celsius last night. Kashmir is currently under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, a 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably. It ends on 31 January, but the cold wave continues even after that in the valley. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day-long Chillai- Khurd (small cold) and a 10-day-long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold).