The Valley continues to reel under a cold wave but as the 40-day harshest winter period of Chilai Kalan concludes on Saturday, Kashmir is likely to receive a wet spell next week bringing an end to the freezing temperatures.
Summer capital Srinagar which had witnessed some improvement in night temperature on Tuesday, saw the mercury plummeting to minus 5.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night. Srinagar had recorded a 29-year low temperature of minus 8.4 degrees Celsius on January 14. The minimum temperatures in Srinagar have mostly remained below minus 5 degrees Celsius during the last two weeks.
The 40-day harshest winter period of Chilai Kalan in Kashmir, which started on December 21 will conclude on January 30. During the Chilai Kalan, there are maximum chances of snowfall and temperatures keep hovering in the low sub-zero range. The water bodies including parts of Dal Lake and supply lines have been freezing due to extreme low temperatures while slippery surfaces due to the frost have been causing problems for commuters.
Meanwhile, there was no respite from the bone-chilling cold on Thursday as Srinagar recorded 3 degrees maximum temperature while Gulmarg recorded minus 4 degrees maximum temperature. The rest of the Valley continues to reel under the cold wave as Qazigund recorded minus 10.5 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night while Pahalgam recorded minus 10.5 degrees Celsius.
As per Meteorological Department data, ski-resort Gulmarg was the coldest recorded station in the Valley and recorded minus 13.4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night. Kokernag recorded minus 10.7 degrees while Kupwara recorded minus 2.2 degrees. Kargil froze at minus minus 21.3 degrees while Leh recorded a low of minus 14.8 degrees on Wednesday night, MeT data said.
MeT predicts wet spell on Feb 2,3:
The MeT department has predicted the cold wave to continue till the weekend after which there is possibility of an improvement in temperatures. The MeT forecast has said that “a light snowfall in higher reaches of the Valley is likely during January 31 and February 1”. The MeT forecast has also said that a “wet spell is likely in J&K and Ladakh during February 2 and 3 resulting in light spell of snowfall in both plains and higher reaches”. The Valley had received a moderate snowfall last Saturday and earlier a heavy snowfall on January 4 and 5 cutting off Kashmir from the rest of the world.
HIGHWAY CLOSED FOR TRAFFIC ON FRIDAY:
The 270-kilometer Srinagar-Jammu National Highway will remain closed for vehicular traffic for repair works on Friday, a Traffic Department advisory said. “On Friday, there shall be no traffic movement on the Jammu-Srinagar National highway from either side in view of maintenance and repairing of the highway,” the advisory said. It may be recalled that traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National highway has remained suspended on Fridays for the last few weeks owing to repair works.
Traffic had remained suspended on the highway for almost one week earlier this month, after the retaining wall of a bridge at Kelamorh near Ramban collapsed. However, later a bailey bridge installed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had helped to restore traffic on the highway. Mughal road which connects the Valley with Pir Panchal region and the Srinagar-Leh Highway remains closed due to the accumulation of snow.