Temperature plummets several degrees below freezing point across Kashmir valley

Cold conditions intensified in Kashmir as the minimum temperature dipped several degrees below the freezing point and many places experienced the seasons coldest night officials said SundayThe valley experienced a dry but colder Christmas this year the MeT office said However there is a possibility of a wet spell next weekThe minimum temperature on Saturday night went several degrees below the freezing point and was below normal across the valley except in Gulmarg the officials saidThe intense cold conditions led to freezing of water supply lines in many areas as well as the freezing of the interiors of the Dal Lake they saidAlso read Srinagar records coldest night of seasonThe minimum temperature in Srinagar settled at minus 58 degrees Celsius down from minus 54 degrees Celsius Thursday night the officials saidThe city experienced its coldest night so far this season they addedThe officials said Pahalgam which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra recorded a low of minus 7 degrees Celsius down from minus 64 degrees CelsiusThe minimum temperature at the resort was the lowest so far this seasonThe famous skiresort of Gulmarg in north Kashmirs Baramulla district recorded a low of minus 56 degrees CelsiusThe minimum temperature in frontier Kupwara district settled at the seasons lowest of minus 6 degrees Celsius while Qazigund the gateway town to the valley also recorded the seasons lowest of minus of 5 degrees Celsius the officials saidKokernag recorded a low of minus 22 degrees CelsiusThe MeT Office has forecast mostly dry weather in Jammu and Kashmir till Monday after which it is likely to remain generally cloudy till December 30 in the UT with a possibility of light to moderate snowfall over the higher reachesThere would be a slight improvement in the minimum temperature leading to some respite from the cold and dry weather from December 2631 the MeT office saidKashmir is currently under the grip of ChillaiKalan the 40day harshest winter period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies as well as the water supply lines in several parts of the valley The chances of snowfall are the most frequent and maximum during this period Most areas especially in the higher reaches receive heavy snowfallChillaiKalan begins on December 21 and ends on January 30 The cold wave continues even after that with a 20daylong ChillaiKhurd small cold and a 10daylong ChillaiBachha baby cold following itThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever