Kashmir awaits snow, rain

DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
SRINAGAR, Jan 10
Dry spell prevailed in Kashmir valley even as the minimum temperature fell by several degrees, intensifying bone chilling conditions, officials said on Wednesday.
The dry weather has resulted in freezing nights and warmer than usual days as Srinagar on Tuesday recorded a maximum temperature of 14.2 degrees Celsius which was 8.1 degrees higher than usual for this time of the year.
Jammu, the winter capital of the union territory, was colder than Srinagar on Tuesday recording a high of 11.6 degrees Celsius, which was 6.5 degrees below the normal.
Jammu is currently under a cover of dense fog which has resulted in colder days.
Srinagar city recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night, down from minus 2.4 degrees Celsius recorded on the previous night, the officials said.
They said Qazigund recorded a low of minus 4.4 degrees against minus 2.6 degrees Celsius, while in the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir it was minus 5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night, slightly down from the minimum temperature recorded the previous night.
Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night’s minus 4.4 degrees Celsius, they said.
The minimum temperature in Kokernag town settled at minus 2.4 degrees Celsius and in Kupwara at minus 4.7 degrees Celsius.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of “Chilla-i-Kalan”, a 40-day harsh winter period, when a cold wave sweeps the region and temperatures drop considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies as well as water in pipes.
The chances of snowfall are the highest during this period and most areas, particularly the higher reaches, receive heavy snowfall.
Kashmir has been going through a prolonged dry spell and a 79 per cent deficit in rainfall was recorded for December while there has been no precipitation in the first week of January.
There has been no snowfall in most plain areas of Kashmir, while the upper reaches of the valley have received lesser than usual amount of snow. The meteorological department has forecast mainly dry weather till January 12.
‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ will end on January 31. However, the cold conditions will continue after that with a 20-day ‘Chilla-i-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chilla-i-Bachha’ (baby cold).