Chillai-Kalan ends in Kashmir; temp appreciates in some areas

The Chillai-Kalan, a 40-day period of harsh winter, today ended without a major snowfall in Kashmir as the night temperature rose across the valley.
During Chillai-Kalan, the possibility of snowfall is maximum. While there was downpour when the period began and ended this season, it was one of the driest in four decades.
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital, recorded a minimum temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius, an official of the Met department said here.
He said all weather stations in the valley - except Pahalgam and Gulmarg - recorded minimum temperatures above the freezing point.
Gulmarg, a popular ski-resort, recorded a low of -3.6C, while Pahalgam - a health resort which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra - recorded a low of -2.5C last night, the official said.

Kargil town of Ladakh region continued to freeze at - 15.0C for the third consecutive night, while the nearby Leh town recorded a low of -7.1C.