Severe cold in Kashmir, minimum temperatures several notches below freezing point

Kashmir reeled under cold wave conditions Sunday as minimum temperatures across the Valley stayed several degrees below the freezing point, officials said here. The minimum temperature in the summer capital Srinagar dropped to minus 3.4 degrees Celsius from the previous night's minus 2.8 degrees Celsius, they said.

Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night's minus 4.1 degrees Celsius, the officials said.

The officials said that Gulmarg, a famous ski resort in Baramulla, recorded a low of minus 3.5 degrees Celsius, down from minus 2.5 degrees Celsius the previous night. Qazigund recorded a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius, Kokernag town minus 1.4 degrees Celsius and Kupwara minus 3.8 degrees Celsius.

There was some snowfall and rains in Kashmir during December which resulted in the prolonged cold wave conditions, they said. Kashmir is under the grip of the 40-day harsh winter period 'Chilla-i-Kalan'. The chances of snowfall are the highest during this period and most areas, especially the higher reaches, receive heavy snow. 'Chilla-i-Kalan' will end on January 31. However, the cold conditions will continue even after that with a 20-day 'Chilla-i-Khurd' and a 10-day 'Chilla-i-Bachha'.