Srinagar ,The cold wave tightens its grip on Kashmir as Srinagar experiences the coldest night of the season. On Tuesday, the mercury plummeted to minus 5.3 degrees Celsius in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, following a low of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius recorded on Monday.
While temperatures rose slightly on Tuesday, the minimum temperatures settled below freezing. Pahalgam, the base camp for Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.5 degrees Celsius. Other areas like Gulmarg, Qazigund, Kokernag, and Kupwara reported temperatures ranging from minus 2.6 to minus 3.5 degrees Celsius.
The weather office forecasts dry but generally cloudy weather in the region until December 16, just before the onset of ‘Chilla-i-Kalan,’ the 40-day harshest winter period when temperatures drop to their lowest. During this period, water bodies freeze, and snowfall becomes frequent in Kashmir.
The cold wave in Kashmir unfolds in three phases, starting with ‘Chillai-Kalan’ from December 21 to January 30, followed by ‘Chillai-Khurd’ for 20 days and ‘Chillai-Bachha’ for 10 days.
