Cold conditions prevail in Kashmir; Sonamarg coldest place with low of minus 11.2°C

Kashmir reeled under cold conditions as the night temperature settled several degrees below the freezing point at most places, officials said on Thursday.

However, many places, including Srinagar, recorded warmer-than-expected night temperatures.

The minimum in the city settled at minus 0.6, down from the previous night’s 0.1°C. The night temperature was 0.3 degrees above the seasonal normal.

Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir, registering a low of minus 11.2°C, down from the previous night’s minus 9.8°C, the officials said.

The famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district registered a low of minus 9, while the Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 4.5°C.

The minimum temperature in Qazigund, the gateway town of the valley, settled at zero degrees, while Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.6°C and Kupwara minus 3.5°C, they added.

‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, the 40-day period of extreme cold during which night temperatures often drop several degrees below the freezing point, and the chances of snowfall are the highest, is about to end.

‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, which began on December 21 last year, ends on January 30.

However, cold conditions continue even after that. ‘Chillai-Kalan’ is followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai Khurd’ (small cold) and 10-day ‘Chillai Bachha’ (baby cold)

The Meteorological Department has said the weather would remain cloudy but dry after till January 31.

A fresh western disturbance is likely to impact the region on February 1, which could bring another spell of wet weather, it said.