Srinagar: Temperatures in Kashmir plummeted on Saturday with Srinagar recording first sub-zero night of ‘Chillai-e-Kalan’, the harshest 40-day period of winter which began on December 21.
Due to clear sky, the minimum temperatures in this summer capital of the state recorded at minus 2.1 degree Celsius against 2.3 degrees Celsius on previous night. This is for the first time that mercury dropped below freezing point in Srinagar after the start of the Chillai-e-Kalan.
Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district was the coldest place in the Valley and recorded a low of minus -7.0C against -6.0 on the previous night.
Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir was the second coldest recorded place in Kashmir with a low of minus 5.9C against -4.1 on the previous night, the official said.
The highway town of Qazigund in south Kashmir also recorded sub-zero temperature, recording a low of minus 1.0C, while the night temperature in neighbouring Kokernag and north Kashmir Kupwara settled at 0.0C and and -2.2C respectively.
The MET official said Kargil in frontier region of Ladakh was the coldest place in the state recording a low of minus 15.2C while Leh saw a low of -13.1C.
Chillai-e-Kalan, a 40-day long chilliest part of the season, starts on December 21 and is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ and a 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’. The weather is likely to remain dry for next six days and according to the IMD, there is possibility of snow on December 29.
