In a Big Relief, Temperature in Jammu and Kashmir Increases After Bout of Snowfall

Srinagar: A day after Kashmir witnessed a bout of snowfall, the minimum temperature at most places in the valley increased Wednesday night, providing much-needed relief to residents, the weatherman said.

The weather stayed mostly dry Wednesday night after intermittent snowfall on Tuesday, an official of the MeT department said.

He said similar conditions are likely to prevail for two more days -- Thursday and Friday -- after which another wet spell is expected for a few days.

There is a possibility of widespread rain and snowfall, with a higher intensity on January 22, the official said.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar rose from minus 2.1 degrees Celsius the previous night to minus 1.3 degrees Celsius.

He said Qazigund -- the gateway town to the valley in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 0.2 degrees Celsius up from minus 2.9 degrees Celsius the previous night.

The nearby Kokernag town registered a low of minus 2.0 degrees Celsius Wednesday night.

The mercury in Kupwara town in north Kashmir settled at minus 1.5 degrees Celsius an increase of over four degrees from minus 5.6 degrees Celsius the previous night, the official said.

Gulmarg ski-resort in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 10 degrees Celsius.

Pahalgam tourist resort, in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 5.1 degrees Celsius down from the previous night's minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, the official said.

He said Leh, in the frontier Ladakh region, recorded a low of minus 12 degrees Celsius, while the mercury in the nearby Kargil settled at minus 20.2 degrees Celsius.

Drass, the second coldest inhabited place in the world, was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir at a low of minus 22.0 degrees Celsius.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan' the 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.'Chillai-Kalan' ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).