Cold wave continues in Kashmir, fringes of Dal Lake freezes

Cold wave continued unabated in Kashmir with Srinagar experiencing the coldest January night in the last five years as water supply lines and various water bodies, including fringes of the famous Dal Lake froze.
The mercury in Srinagar went down by over a degree from the previous night's minus 5 degrees Celsius to settle at a low of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius, a MeT official here said.
However, the night temperature in the city was not the season's lowest as it had recorded a low of minus 6.5 degrees Celsius on December 21, he said.
The temperature at Leh town and Pahalgam went up slightly from that on the previous night.

Leh town, in Ladakh region, continued to be the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir as the mercury there settled at a low of minus 14 degrees Celsius - up nearly four notches from yesterday's minus 17.7 degrees Celsius which was the season's lowest.
The mercury at Pahalgam hill resort, in south Kashmir, went slightly up from the previous night's minus 13 degrees Celsius to settle at a low of minus 12.4 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature at the resort was at a three-year low for the month of January, a MeT official said.

Gulmarg - the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir - recorded the season's lowest night temperature as the mercury settled at a low of minus 13.6 degrees Celsius.

Kokernag, in south Kashmir, registered a low of minus 8.7 degrees Celsius - down from yesterday's minus 7.1 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, a notch down from the previous night's minus 5.8 degrees Celsius, the official said.
The mercury in Qazigund of south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 7 degrees Celsius.
The Meteorological Department has forecast another spell of wet weather from tomorrow.
"There is a possibility of isolated rainfall or snowfall tomorrow, after which we expect scattered to fairly-widespread rains or snow over four days from January 15," the MeT 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 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).