Owais Gul
Srinagar, Jan 8: While the chilly weather conditions have tightened its grip across Kashmir, the first 19 days of the 40-day harshest winter period, Chillai-Kalan has ended on a dry note in the Valley while as the weatherman has stated that such a dry spell has been recorded after five years when December and January months witnessed no wet spell at all.
Chillai-Kalan commenced on December 21, 2023 on a dry note while no major snowfall was received anywhere across the Valley during the period. The harshest winter period is set to culminate on January 31 and is followed by a 20-day long Chillai-Khurd (small cold) that occurs between January 31 and February 19 and a 10-day long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold) which begins from February 20 to March 2.
Pertinently, Chillai Kalan is a Persian word which means “Major Cold”.
However, in Kashmir, the dry spell has continued across the Valley in the first 19 days of the harshest winter period while the local Meteorological department here has predicted the dry spell till January 15. As per the forecast, the Valley is expected to witness the dry spell for the first 26 days of Chillai-Kalan till January 15.
When contacted, Director Meteorological department, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, said that such a dry spell has been witnessed in the past as well. “In 2022, the month December passed without any wet spell while in the year 2018 December and January ended without any wet spell,” he said, adding that the ongoing dry spell is not a new phenomenon in Kashmir.
As far as the forecast is concerned, the weather is expected to remain generally cloudy over plains while there is a possibility of very light rain at one or two places of Jammu division and very light snow over isolated extreme higher reaches of Kashmir. In between January 10-15, the weather is expected to remain dry, saying that overall no significant weather activity is expected till 15th January.
Moreover, the mercury continued to settle below freezing point in Kashmir with Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir recording a low of minus 4.3 degree Celsius.
Qazigund, the gateway of Kashmir also recorded a low of minus 4.2 degree Celsius while Gulmarg, a famous ski-resort, has recorded a low of minus 4.0 degree Celsius.
Pahalgam, a famous tourist place, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.3 degree Celsius. In Kupwara, the mercury settled at minus 5.0 degree Celsius while in Kokernag, a minimum temperature of minus 2.1 degree Celsius was recorded.
