Dry weather prevails in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jan 14 (PTI) The minimum temperature in Kashmirdivision, including Ladakh region, remained several degreesbelow the freezing point today ...

Srinagar, Jan 14 (PTI) The minimum temperature in Kashmirdivision, including Ladakh region, remained several degreesbelow the freezing point today owing to dry weather.

The MET Office has forecast mainly dry weather tillJanuary 20.

"The weather is likely to remain mainly dry in Kashmirtill 20 January, though there may be light snowfall in higherreaches and the minimum temperature will continue to remainseveral degrees below the freezing point,” an official of theMeteorological Department said here.

He said the possibility of moderate to heavy snowfall inthe valley or Ladakh region over the next two weeks is less.

The night temperature across the valley, except inGulmarg, rose last night, while it went marginally down inLadakh region.

Leh town, in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, recordedthe minimum temperature of minus 15.2 degrees Celsius,compared to minus 15 degrees Celsius the previous night, theofficial said.

Leh continues to be the coldest recorded place in thestate.

He said the data for nearby Kargil town was notavailable.

Srinagar – the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir –recorded the minimum temperature of minus 4.3 degrees Celsiuslast night – marginally up from minus 4.6 degrees Celsius theprevious night, the official said.

The night temperature in Qazigund, in south Kashmir,settled at a low of minus 4.4 degrees Celsius – up fromyesterday’s minus 5 degrees Celsius.

The neighbouring Kokernag town saw mercury increase by adegree to settle at a low of minus 1.7 degrees Celsius lastnight, the official said.

He said Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus4.7 degrees Celsius – up from minus 5.3 degrees Celsius theprevious night.

The official said the night temperature in Pahalgam - thefamous health resort which also serves as one of the basecamps for the annual Amarnath Yatra – increased from the lowof minus 6.1 degrees Celsius the previous night to settle atthe low of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius last night.

Gulmarg - the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir -recorded the minimum temperature of minus 5.degrees Celsius –down from minus 4.5 degrees Celsius yesterday.

The resort was the only place in the valley where thenight temperature decreased last night.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ –a 40-day harshest period of winter – when the chances ofsnowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperaturedrops considerably.

It ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues evenafter that in the valley.

The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (babycold).PTI SSBDV.

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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