Cloudy weather marks first day of ‘Chillai Kalan’

Srinagar: The 40-day harshest winter period, Chillai Kalan, began on Monday while the weatherman predicted dry weather till December 26.
The Kashmir Valley has been witnessing dip in the night temperature from last couple of days with mercury last night settling at minus 4 degrees Celsius in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, Srinagar on the intervening night of December 18-19 recorded the season’s lowest temperature at minus 6.6 degree Celsius.
The harshest winter began with a dry note Monday as the weather remained mainly dry and cloudy throughout the day across J&K and Ladakh.
“There is no possibility of rain or snow in any part of J&K and Ladakh till December 25,” Meteorological (MeT) department’s Deputy Director, Mukhtar Ahmad said.
He said the night temperature will settle around minus 5 to minus 6 degrees in the coming days.
Ahmad had earlier said that the night temperature would go up on December 20-21 in Srinagar where mercury settled at minus 4 degree Celsius, which is 2.2 degree Celsius up from previous night.
The world famous ski-resort, Gulmarg recorded Gulmarg also recorded an increase in the night temperature where mercury settled at minus 6.4 degrees Celsius last night, MeT spokesman said.
Meanwhile, amid minus night temperature, the frozen pipes have left the people in Srinagar areas to face hardships.
According to the locals from Nowgam area, the fall in night temperature has added to their miseries as they are unable to get water in the morning hours as the water pipes usually remain frozen nowadays.
“For the past one week, we are facing water crisis in the morning hours as the pipes supply water to them remain frozen,” Nazir Ahmed, a resident of Nowgam locality of Srinagar said