SRINAGAR: Amidst the prevailing chilly weather conditions tightening their grip across Kashmir, the first 19 days of the 40-day harshest winter period, Chillai-Kalan, concluded on a dry note in the Valley. The weatherman reported that such a dry spell has not been seen in five years, with December and January witnessing no wet spell at all.
Chillai-Kalan commenced on December 21, 2023, on a dry note, and no significant snowfall was experienced anywhere across the Valley during this period.
The harshest winter period is set to conclude on January 31, followed by a 20-day-long Chillai-Khurd (small cold) from January 31 to February 19 and a 10-day-long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold) from February 20 to March 2.
Notably, Chillai Kalan is a Persian term meaning “Major Cold.”
However, in Kashmir, the dry spell persists across the Valley in the initial 19 days of the harshest winter, with the local Meteorological department predicting it to continue until January 15. According to the forecast, the Valley is expected to experience the dry spell for the first 26 days of Chillai-Kalan until January 15.
Director of the Meteorological Department, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, stated that such dry spells have occurred in the past. “In 2022, December passed without any wet spell, and in 2018, December and January concluded without any wet spell,” he said, emphasizing that the ongoing dry spell is not a new phenomenon in Kashmir.
Regarding the forecast, the weather is expected to remain generally cloudy over plains, with a possibility of very light rain at one or two places in the Jammu division and very light snow over isolated extreme higher reaches of Kashmir.
Between January 10-15, the weather is anticipated to stay dry, and overall, no significant weather activity is expected until January 15.
Furthermore, the mercury continues to settle below freezing point in Kashmir, with Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recording a low of minus 4.3 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund, the gateway to Kashmir, also recorded a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, while Gulmarg, a renowned ski resort, registered a low of minus 4.0 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam, a well-known tourist destination, reported a minimum temperature of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius. In Kupwara, the mercury settled at minus 5.0 degrees Celsius, while in Kokernag, a minimum temperature of minus 2.1 degrees Celsius was recorded. (KNO)
