Temperatures dipped further across the Kashmir Valley as intense cold conditions prevailed during the ongoing ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, officials said, with Shopian emerging as the coldest place at minus 8.2 degrees Celsius and parts of Dal Lake and other water bodies freezing under clear skies.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.7 degrees Celsius on Friday night, slightly higher than the previous night’s minus 6.0 degrees Celsius, which was the coldest recorded in the city so far this season, officials said.
The minimum temperature in Srinagar was 3.8 degrees below the seasonal average.
The bone-chilling cold led to the freezing of parts of several water bodies, including the interiors of the Dal Lake in Srinagar.
In south Kashmir, Pahalgam, the tourist resort that also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra, registered a low of minus 7.8 degrees Celsius.
In north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the popular ski resort of Gulmarg recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night’s minus 7.2 degrees Celsius, officials said.
The tourist resort of Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund, the gateway town of the valley, also registered a low of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius, the coldest of the season there, officials said.
Kokernag recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.0 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara settled at minus 6.1 degrees Celsius, they added.
Kashmir is currently in the midst of ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, a 40-day period of extreme cold during which night temperatures often drop several degrees below the freezing point and the chances of snowfall are the highest.
‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, which began on December 21 last year, will end on January 30.
Despite the harsh conditions, the plains of the valley have not received any snowfall so far this season.
The India Meteorological Department has said the weather is likely to remain dry but cloudy till January 21.