Cold sets in Kashmir; Leh coldest at minus 9.5 deg C

Leh in frontier Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir was the coldest place in the state with the night temperature plummeting to minus 9.5 degrees Celsius.
The cold has set in Kashmir as the minimum temperatures have dipped below the freezing point in most places in the Valley along with Ladakh region, MeT office said here today.
It said Kargil town, also in Ladakh region, recorded the minimum temperature of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, registered the coldest night of the season so far at minus 1.9 degrees Celsius - three degrees below the normal for the season.

There has been a continuous drop in the night temperature in the city in the last few days. The drop in the night temperature is attributed to the continued dry spell in the Valley.
There was very scant rainfall over the past two months as a result of which the days remain warmer while the night temperature continued to be on a decline.

The MeT has forecast mainly dry weather for the next 24 hours and the night temperatures are expected to fall further.
The officials said the hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded a minimum of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius yesterday, making it the coldest place in the Valley.

The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir registered the low of minus 0.6 degrees Celsius. Kupwara, in north Kashmir, recorded minus 1.7 degrees Celsius, while Qazigund in south registered minus 1.8 degrees Celsius.
The mercury in Qazigund town in south Kashmir settled at a
low of minus 8.8 degrees Celsius, nearly two degrees down from the yesterday's minus 7.0 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said it was the coldest night of the season in the town ,referred to as the gateway to the Kashmir Valley, and it was the lowest night temperature there in the month of January in the last three years.

Leh town in Ladakh region was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir as the mercury there settled at a low of minus 17.0 degrees Celsius, down three degrees from yesterday's minus 14.0 degrees Celsius.
The nearby Kargil town registered a low of minus 15.6 degrees Celsius which is the season's lowest there, the official said.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan', considered the harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.
'Chillai-Kalan', which began on December 21 last year, ends on January 31 but the cold wave conditions continues even after that.

The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).
The region witnessed heavy snowfall of the season on January 6.
The Meteorological Department has forecast another spell of wet weather from today.
"There is possibility of isolated rainfall or snowfall today, after which we expect scattered to fairly-widespread rains or snow over the next four days," the official added.