Fresh snowfall in higher reaches of Kashmir

Srinagar, January 22

Rains lashed plains while higher reaches witnessed fresh snowfall in Kashmir for the second day on Tuesday as the residents of the valley continued to experience some respite from the intense cold wave conditions that have been witnessed this winter.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar last night settled at minus 0.2 degrees Celsius – almost same as the previous night, the MET official said.

He said Qazigund—the gateway town to the valley—in south Kashmir recorded a low of 0.8 degree Celsius, while the nearby Kokernag town registered a low of minus 0.3 degrees Celsius last night.

The mercury in Kupwara town in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 0.4 degree Celsius.

Gulmarg ski-resort in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 4 degrees Celsius last night, while Pahalgam tourist resort, in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 0.2 degrees Celsius, the official said.

The downpour has forced closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway following a snow avalanche near Jawahar Tunnel in Qazigund area in the early hours of Tuesday.

He said Leh, in the frontier Ladakh region, recorded a low of 2.8 degrees Celsius—a big surprise for this time of the year when the normal minimum temperature is six to seven degrees below the freezing point.

The mercury in nearby Kargil settled at a low of minus 12.2 degrees Celsius.

Kargil was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir, colder than even Drass town which recorded a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan'—the 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.

'Chillai-Kalan' ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold). — PTI