Chillai Kalan ends on rainy, cloudy note

Srinagar: Rains lashed Kashmir on Monday amid a prediction from the Meteorological Centre Srinagar predicting wet weather for the next two days.
The MeT centre had forecast light rain and snow on 31st Jan-1st Feb at scattered places and 3rd Feb. “Overall, weather is likely to remain partly to generally cloudy next week. There’s NO forecast of any Major Weather till 1st week of Feb,” it said.
Faizan Arif, a weather forecaster running Kashmir Weather on Twitter, said a weak Western Disturbance may trigger light rain and snow at many places in Kashmir region during the next 12 hours.. “Moderate snowfall is also possible at a few places in higher reaches,” he tweeted.
According to him, another Western Disturbance is likely to affect Jammu and Kashmir from February 2 afternoon onwards. “Light to moderate rain/snow is possible in Kashmir till 03 Feb,” he said and added, “On 3 Feb, most parts in Jammu region are likely to receive light to moderate rain showers, with snowfall in higher reaches.”
Meanwhile, minimum temperature across Kashmir improved as ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ — the harshest winter period when the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent – ended, officials said on Monday.
However, the minimum temperature settled below the freezing point across the valley on Sunday night, the officials said.
Chilla-i-Kalan — the 40-day harshest winter period which began on December 21 last year — is the time when a severe cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably, leading to the freezing of water bodies including the famous Dal Lake as well as of water supply lines in several parts of the valley.
However, the ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ this year was not harsh like the last year and there was less snowfall during the period.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius up from minus 2.3 degrees Celsius the previous night, they said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius up from minus 7.4 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius up from minus 7 degrees Celsius the previous night, they said.
The officials said Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 2.8 degree Celsius, while the nearby south Kashmir town of Kokernag recorded a low of minus 2.2 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 0.6 degrees Celsius.
—With inputs from PTI

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