At Minus 5.5, Srinagar Records Coldest Night Of The Season, Parts Of Punjab Colder Than Shimla
As the winter sets in Chilla-i-Kalan', the 40-day harshest period of the season has made its presence felt in the Kashmir valley, with Srinagar recording its coldest night this winter.
The minimum temperature in Srinagar recorded Wednesday night was minus 5.5 degrees Celsius, which is the lowest so far this season.
Cold grip across Kashmir
The city had recorded minus 4.2 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Pahalgam, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius and was the coldest recorded place in the valley.
It was also the coldest night of the season so far at the tourist resort.
They said that the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district recorded a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius.
The minimum in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at minus 5.1 degrees Celsius. At the same time, Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, recorded minus 4.4 degrees Celsius, and Kokernag recorded a low of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius.
While 'Chillai-Kalan' begins on December 21, it will end on January 30. The cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day-long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).
Cold spell across North India
It is not just Jammu and Kashmir that an intense spell of cold has gripped.
Most parts of North India have been experiencing cold and foggy days with reduced visibility.
The IMD has issued a 'cold wave' alert in many North Indian states. A temperature drop has also been recorded in states of North India, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Bihar.
Punjab and Haryana shiver
According to a report, more than 10 districts in Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh, recorded a minimum temperature less than Shimla.?
The Met department's weather report said Gurdaspur in Punjab was the coldest recorded place in the state, where the minimum temperature settled at 5 degrees Celsius.
Amritsar recorded a low of 8.4 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana 8 degrees Celsius, Patiala 8.2 degrees Celsius, Bathinda 5.8 degrees Celsius and Mohali 8.3 degrees Celsius.
Chandigarh recorded a low of 7.6 degrees Celsius.
In Haryana, cold weather conditions prevailed in Mahendergarh, which recorded a low of 4.9 degrees Celsius, while Hisar's low settled at 6.7 degrees Celsius.
Karnal registered a minimum temperature of 8.2 degrees Celsius, Ambala 8.4 degrees Celsius, Bhiwani 6.2 degrees Celsius, Sirsa 9.2 degrees Celsius, and Rohtak 8.6 degrees Celsius.?
Foggy day in Delhi
As the cold wave tightened its icy grip across North India, Delhiites again woke up to dense fog cloaking the whole city?on Thursday.
A dense layer of fog from Punjab and Northwest Rajasthan to East Uttar Pradesh across Haryana continued on Thursday morning.
Dense fog engulfed Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur with people complaining of visibility dropping below 10 meters.
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