Biting Breath of Winter: Cold Wave Intensifies in Valley, Records Tumble
Bandipora recorded a low of minus 7.9 degrees Celsius followed by Pulwama in south Kashmir at minus 7.3 degrees Celsius and Shopian at minus 6.9 degrees Celsius, the officials said
Bandipora was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir with the minimum temperature in the north Kashmir district falling nearly eight degrees below freezing point, officials said on Wednesday.
Bandipora recorded a low of minus 7.9 degrees Celsius followed by Pulwama in south Kashmir at minus 7.3 degrees Celsius and Shopian at minus 6.9 degrees Celsius, the officials said.
Srinagar city recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night, marginally down from previous night’s minus 5.3 degrees Celsius, the officials said.
Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius.
They said Qazigund town in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius and the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Kokernag town settled at minus 2.3 degrees Celsius and in Kupwara at minus 5.3 degrees Celsius.
As the Valley is bracing for consecutive Western Disturbances from next couple of days, locals are hopeful that the prolonged dry spell in Kashmir would end.
Is has been over 55 days since any major rain and snowfall in Kashmir, resulting water scarcity. The water discharge has fallen drastically in rivers and the streams. Underground wells have dried up at many places as well.
The MeT office has predicted that the Western Disturbances could bring rains and snow in moderate levels. Even the upper reaches, which usually get heavy to moderate snowfall in December and January, the depth of snow is a mere 80 to 115 cm, and the absence of snow at higher reaches could have adverse impact in summer months.
The MeT officer further predicted moderate rain and snow on January 28 and 29 across Kashmir. “On January 30 and 3, possibility of light to moderate rain/snow at widespread places most likely,” the bulletin said, adding that moderate to dense fog was likely to continue over plains of Jammu division till Thursday.
All weather stations in Kashmir observed above normal day temperatures, with Srinagar recording 11.6 degrees Celsius, 4.6 notches above normal.
The tourist resorts of Pahalgam in south Kashmir and Gulmarg recorded maximum temperatures of 10.2 and 5.1 degrees Celsius.
Jammu, however, recorded a maximum of 11.3 degrees Celsius, over 7.1 notches less than normal. Over the past few days, Srinagar has been warmer than summer capital due to foggy conditions in the plains of Jammu. Leh in Ladakh recorded 2.4 degrees Celsius day temperature.
Kashmir’s winter pans out in three stages, starting with the 40-day intense period from December 21 ((Chilla-i-Kalan), accompanied by most of the snowfall, followed by 20 days of comparatively less intense chill (Chilla-i-Khurd), and final 10 days of mild cold (Chill-e-Bache).
