Cold conditions prevail in Kashmir; Sonamarg coldest place with low of minus 11.2 degrees Celsius

Kashmir reeled under cold conditions as the night temperature settled several degrees below the freezing point at most places, officials said in Thursday. However, many places, including Srinagar, recorded warmer-than-expected night temperature.

The minimum in the city settled at minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night's 0.1 degrees Celsius. The night temperature was 0.3 degrees above the seasonal normal.

Sonamarg in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir, registering a low of minus 11.2 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night's minus 9.8 degrees Celsius, the officials said.

The famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district registered a low of minus 9, while the Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 4.5 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature in Qazigund, the gateway town of the valley, settled at zero degrees, while Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.6 degrees and Kupwara minus 3.5 degrees Celsius, they added.

'Chilla-i-Kalan', the 40-day period of extreme cold during which night temperatures often drop several degrees below the freezing point, and the chances of snowfall are the highest, is about to end. 'Chilla-i-Kalan', which began on December 21 last year, ends on January 30.

However, cold conditions continue even after that. 'Chillai-Kalan' is followed by a 20-day 'Chillai Khurd' (small cold) and 10-day 'Chillai Bachha (baby cold)

The Meteorological Department has said the weather would remain cloudy but dry after till January 31. A fresh western disturbance is likely to impact the region on February 1, which could bring another spell of wet weather, it said.