Kashmir shivers ahead of 'Chillai-Kalan', Srinagar records coldest night of season

Srinagar experiences freezing temperatures, leading to water supply issues and health problems, with colder weather predicted ahead.

A day before the harshest winter period in Kashmir, 'Chillai Kalan', the temperature plunged several degrees below freezing point across the valley, with Srinagar witnessing its coldest night of the season so far, officials said on Friday, December 20, 2024.

Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6.2°C, slightly down from minus 6°C the previous night, the officials said.

The night temperature on Thursday was 4.2°C below the season's normal, they said.

The biting cold conditions led to the freezing of water supply lines in many areas and the fringes of water bodies, including the Dal Lake, they added.

The prolonged dry spell in the city and other areas in the plains has exacerbated ailments like cough and common cold, the officials said.

In South Kashmir, Pahalgam, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered a low of minus 8.2 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night's minus 6.8°C, the weather office said.

It said Gulmarg, a tourist spot popular for skiing, logged a minimum of minus 6°C, a degree down from the previous night.