The people of Ladakh and Kashmir are facing an intense cold wave that has swept the region. On Friday, the 40-day-long period of harsh winter cold, which is also known as 'Chillai Kalan', entered its third day.
According to an official from the weather department, "Cold, dry weather with partly cloudy sky is likely in Ladakh and J&K during the next 24 hours", news agency IANS reported.
The drop in the mercury level in many districts of Ladakh and Kashmir is below the freezing point, thus leading to bone-chilling winter.
The summer capital of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and also its largest city, Srinagar, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam and Gulmarg recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6.4 and 5.5 degrees Celsius respectively.
The Ladakh region has also witnessed a heavy dip in temperature. Kargil and Leh, the two joint capitals of the union territory of Ladakh, recorded minus 13.1 and 13.8 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature.
Jammu, the winter capital of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of 6.3 degrees Celsius. Katra recorded a minimum temperature of 5.2, Batote 1.6, Banihal minus 1.8, and Bhaderwah minus 0.2 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature.
As reported by Deccan Herald, many water bodies like Wular Lake and Dal Lake have partially frozen due to intense cold. People in several areas woke up to the frozen taps. However, this extreme cold season is also a reason for tourist attractions where the tourists throng to the place to witness snowfall.
Chillai Kalan, as it is called in the local dialect, is a period of 40-day harsh winter in Kashmir during which the night temperatures usually remain below the freezing point.
Chillai Kalan, which starts on December 21 and continues till January 29, is followed by a 20-day-long Chillai Khurd and then 10-day-long Chillai Bacha.
(With Agency Inputs)