SRINAGAR: As the 40-day harsh winter period, Chillai-Kalan, is set to commence this weekend, the Meteorological Department has forecast light snowfall over higher reaches on the occasion. However, no major wet spell is expected over the next 10 days.
Meanwhile, the cold wave continues to grip Kashmir amidst a persistent dry spell in most areas.
Srinagar city recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius, down from minus 3.4 degrees Celsius the previous night, officials said.
The officials also mentioned that water supply lines in many areas of the city and elsewhere in the valley were frozen due to the cold.
Gulmarg, a tourist destination popular for skiing, recorded a low of minus 4 degrees Celsius, the same as the previous night.
Pahalgam, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night’s minus 5 degrees Celsius.
Konibal, a sleepy hamlet on the outskirts of Pampore town, was the coldest place in the valley, with the mercury dipping to minus 8.5 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Qazigund, the gateway to Kashmir, was minus 6 degrees Celsius; North Kashmir’s Kupwara recorded minus 5.6 degrees Celsius and Kokernag, in south Kashmir, recorded minus 5.7 degrees Celsius.
The Meteorological Department has also predicted continued cold wave conditions at isolated to scattered locations across the region.
For the next four days, until December 20, the Director of the Meteorological Department, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, has forecast generally dry and cloudy weather conditions.
On December 21, when Chillai-Kalan begins, Dr Ahmad said that generally cloudy weather is expected, with the possibility of light snowfall over higher reaches late on the evening of the 21st or early on the morning of the 22nd, followed by dry weather.
From December 23 to 26, the weather is predicted to remain generally dry.
Meanwhile, in an advisory, the Meteorological Department has warned that fresh snowfall, sub-freezing temperatures, and icy road conditions over important passes and higher reaches could affect travel. Tourists, travellers, and transporters are advised to follow the administration and traffic advisories. (KNO)
