Srinagar records the season’s coldest night at minus 6.4°C, the Kashmir Valley is in a deep freeze
Image Credit L JK Youth Newspaper
SRINAGAR,05-01-2023: The coldest night of the season was recorded on Thursday in Srinagar and Kupwara as the severe cold weather in the Kashmir Valley persisted unabatedly.
A meteorological department official said that Srinagar recorded a low of minus 6.4°C against last night’s minus 5.2°C. Today’s minimum temperature was 4.3°C below normal and surpassed the previous lowest temperature that was recorded on December 25 when mercury plummeted to minus 5.8°C in the summer capital, he said.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 6.2°C against minus 5.2°C on the previous night. The temperature was 3.3°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, he said.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 9.2°C against minus 9.4°C on the previous night. The coldest night recorded this season in the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district was on January 2 when the mercury plunged to minus 9.6°C, he said. Today’s minimum temperature was 2.6°C below normal for the place, he said.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 4.4°C against minus 3.8°C on the previous night, he said. It was 0.9°C below normal for the place, he said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 7.5°C against minus 8.4°C on the previous night, the official said. It was 0.5°C below normal for the world-famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district which recorded its coldest night on January 2 when the minimum temperature plummeted to minus 10.0°C, the official said.
In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at minus 6.0°C against minus 4.1°C on the previous night in the north Kashmir area, he said. The official said that the temperature was 3.5°C below normal.
Jammu recorded a low of 3.0°C against 4.5°C on the previous night. It was 4.3°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of 5.2°C (above normal by 5.0°C), Batote 3.0°C (above normal by 1.0°C), Katra 4.6°C (1.7°C below normal) and Bhadarwah minus 0.4°C (0.1°C below normal).
In Ladakh, Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 15.2°C and minus 19.2°C respectively, the official said.
Kashmir is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day-long harsh winter period that started on December 21. It does not mean an end to the winter either.Chillai-Khurd, which lasts for 20 days from January 30 to February 19, and Chillai-Bachha, or “baby cold,” which lasts for 10 days from February 20 to March 1, come after it.
The MeT official stated that until January 6, mostly clear weather was predicted. He stated, “Expect additional drop in minimum temperature in J&K,” and that “weather is predicted to be gloomy on January 7 and from January 8-10, with probability of snowfall and rain (in plains of Jammu) at various parts of J&K (70% chance).” Additionally, January 11–13 are expected to see some moderate rain and precipitation.
