The ‘Chillai kalan’ has crossed the halfway mark and tightened its grip in the region leading to shivers and freezing cold as the Leh town in the Ladakh region was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir as it shivered at the season’s lowest temperature of -17.7 °C – down nearly two degrees from yesterday’s -16 °C, an official at the Meteorological Department said. The tourist resort of Gulmarg, 50 km from here in north Kashmir, which attracts more snow skiers during winters, recorded the lowest temperature of -13.5…
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Environment
Life during Chillai Kalan, Kashmir’s harshest period of winter
The Valley is cloaked in white, the sun has all but disappeared and the most promising source of heat is the kanger, the traditional fire pot. The air is tinged with blue and grey, filled plumes of smoke and burnt wood. Pools of water on the streets freeze over, only to crack with a harsh sound when stepped on. This is chillai kalan, the 40 harshest days of winter in Kashmir that begins on December 21. Till the end of January, life in the Valley is going to be slow-placed…
Read MoreMinus the snow, New Year festivity minimal this time
Even as Kashmir is going through a prolonged dry spell with life limping back to the usual after the summer unrest, there will be no major New Year celebrations in the Valley. New Year revellers along with tourists usually celebrate the occasion at Gulmarg but the North Kashmir ski resort is awaiting snowfall. A few high-end hotels will be holding low-profile private parties and events on New Year’s Eve but most of the other hotels have decided to give the celebrations a miss. “There will be no New Year gala…
Read MoreLess snowfall in Kashmir valley leaves experts, tourists worried
Over the past three years, the month of December has twice been dry in the picturesque Kashmir valley, a phenomenon that has worried environmentalists and disappointed tourists. This year, it is for the sixth time since 1993 when Kashmir saw a dry, or almost dry, month of December. Apart from a brief spell of snow or light rains on December 11 and 12 this year, local residents and tourists have been looking ahead to snow in the mountains and plains. In Kashmir, the harshest period of winter starts from December…
Read MoreKashmir Valley witnessing longest dry spell of decade
No Rains, Snow For 5th Consecutive Month As the Meteorological Department predicted no rains or snow for the coming week, ongoing dry spell is likely to enter fifth month, Kashmir’s longest dry period of the decade. Sonam Lotus, Director local MeT Department told Kashmir Post that dry spell continues as western disturbances failed to bring enough moisture to Kashmir. “From mid-September to till date, Kashmir has only recorded 5 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 100mm,” he said. He informed as per normal rainfall, the Kashmir must have…
Read MoreCold wave tightened grips across Kashmir, Weatherman predicts no respite
Cold wave tightened its grip across Kashmir as minimum temperature dropped at most places in the Valley, with Srinagar recording a low of minus 5.5 degree Celsius last night, officials said on Friday. On Friday—the third day of 40-day-long harshest winter period called ‘Chillai-Kalan’—the Dal Lake in Srinagar and most other water bodies in the Valley were seen partially frozen. “The maximum temperature recorded in Srinagar on Friday was 8.1 degree Celsius while the minimum was minus 5.5 degree Celsius,” a Meteorological department official here told Kashmir Post. He said…
Read MoreKashmir braces for ‘Chillai Kalan’, Leh records season’s coldest night, temp drops to minus 13.8
As Kashmir braces for Chillai Kalan, the harshest 40-day spell of winter, the fast dipping sub-zero temperature has slowed down the pace of daily life here. Srinagar recorded a minimum of minus 4.2 degree Celsius on Sunday night, a minus-three-degree Celsius departure from the normal. The maximum day temperature too fell to nine degree Celsius. “Most shops open after 10 a.m. in Srinagar to avoid the morning cold wave,” said Reyaz Ahmad, a shopkeeper at Srinagar’s commercial hub Lal Chowk. Government employees too are showing up late for work. Chillai…
Read MoreAt -4.9°C Srinagar records coldest night of season
Srinagar experienced its coldest night of the season as the mercury settled nearly five degrees below freezing point, resulting in freezing of water supply lines and water bodies. The temperature at night was recorded at minus 4.9°C, down from the previous night’s – 4.5°C, an official of the Meteorological Department said. The official said the sub-zero temperatures have resulted in freezing of water supply lines in many areas of the Valley, while fringes of several other water bodies were also frozen. Qazigund also recorded its lowest temperature of the season…
Read MoreKashmir Valley readies for ‘Chillai Kalan’
The Kashmir Valley readies for the 40-day long ‘Chillai Kalan’ as night temperatures dropped below freezing point on Thursday in the valley with a cold wave prevailing throughout. An official of the MET department told IANS: “Cold, dry weather with foggy conditions in the morning is expected in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours (till Friday).” “Night temperatures throughout the Kashmir Valley remained below freezing point and the minimum temperatures dropped several notches below zero in the Ladakh region,” he added. The night temperatures were minus 0.4 in…
Read MoreAiling Dal Lake continues to shrink : Study
The Dal Lake, a jewel of Kashmir’s tourism industry, has shrunk by 24.49 per cent in the past 155 years and is becoming increasingly polluted with at least 32 per cent of it described as “severely degraded,” according to a latest research. The study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Kashmir has concluded that the lake had lost 24.49 per cent of its area between 1859 to 2013 as it faced “multiple pressures” from unplanned urbanisation, high population growth and nutrient load from intensive agriculture and…
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