Srinagar, Oct 25: Amid record rainfall in some parts recently, Kashmir continues to reel under bitterly cold conditions with people comparing the same with ‘Chillai Kalan’, the harshest 40-day period in winters that begins late December.
A meteorological department official on Monday said that Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of 6.5°C against 2.8°C on the previous night.
Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, recorded a low of 4.8°C against the previous night’s 2.2°C, the official said.
Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of 0.2°C against minus 0.1°C on the previous night, he said.
Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum of 3.2°C against 1.2°C on the previous night, the official said.
Kupwara town of the north Kashmir recorded a low 5.2°C against 3.0°C on the previous night, the official said.
Gulmarg, the famous skiing resort in north Kashmir, recorded a minimum of minus 1.2°C against the previous night’s minus 3.4°C, the official said.
The temperatures have fallen considerably after record rainfall and snowfall in some plains and upper reaches.
“It is like Chillai Kalan has already in October. The winters are going to be very long and harsh this year,” said Rashid Ahmad, a Srinagar resident who drives an auto-rickshaw.
Rashid had carried a Kangri with him something he said he used to by late November or early December.
“I asked my family members to give me a kangri since driving an auto-rickshaw for the entire in this temperature is difficult without a kangri,” he said.
The summer capital Srinagar recorded cumulative rainfall of 66 mm on Friday and Saturday. The previous extreme rainfall record for the month of October for 48 hours in Srinagar was 65.4 mm in 1966, the official said.
Qazigund had 108mm of rain during the time which surpassed 101.4mm in 1982.
The famous Pahalgam record received 111 mm rains during the two days against 67. 2 mm record in October, 1982, the official said. Kokernag had 98.4mm against 61.1mm in 1982, he said. In Jammu, Katra recorded 124.5 mm rains breaking the record of 92.2 mm in the October of 2000 while Banihal had 97.4mm against 60.4mm.
