Meteorological Department (MeT) predicted light rain and snow in Kashmir from January 31. Meteorological Department has forecasted light rain/snow on 31st January and 1st February at scattered places and 3rd February. A meteorological department official said that Srinagar, the summer capital of the J&K recorded a low of minus 2.3°C against last night’s minus 1.0°C on the previous night.
Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 2.8°C against minus 3.3°C on the previous night, the official said. Jammu recorded a low of 6.6°C against previous night’s 6.9°C. Banihal recorded a low of minus 0.6°C, Katra had a minimum of 7.6°C while Bhaderwah recorded a low of minus 0.6°C, the official said.
Meanwhile, the ‘Chillai Kalan’, the harshest winter period in Kashmir started from December 21 and has ended and it is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ and a 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’.
There were about 12 western disturbances in Jammu and Kashmir during this ‘Chillai Kalan’ out of which only 3 were able to give a good amount of rain and snow. Lowest temperature in Srinagar dropped to minus 6 degrees Celsius on the intervening night of December 17-18 , 2021, four days before the beginning of Chilai-Kalan. The lowest temperature registered in Chilai-Kalan was minus 4.5 degrees Celsius recorded during the intervening night of January 14-15,
In comparison with last year’s Chilai-Kalan temperature were not so harsh this year and Srinagar had recorded a minimum temperature of minus 7.7 degrees Celsius on January 29, 2021 while the lowest was recorded at minus 8.8 degrees Celsius on the first day of Chilai-Khurd.