In Kashmir, the 40-day harshest winter period, known in the local parlance as ‘Chillai-Kalan’, has set in.
Agencies
New Delhi, December 22:
Delhi’s temperature dipped to a minimum of 3 degree Celsius on Saturday making it the coldest day of the season so far. Several areas of the national capital also witnessed fog early in the morning. Cold wave from the neighbouring mountainous states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh has added to chill.
In Kashmir, the 40-day harshest winter period, known in the local parlance as ‘Chillai-Kalan’, began on a dry note on Friday, even as cold wave conditions continue to prevail in the Valley and Ladakh region as the minimum temperature settled several notches below the freezing point.
‘Chillai-Kalan’ – a harsh winter period when the snowfalls are most frequent and maximum temperatures drop considerably – marked its beginning in Kashmir on Friday, MET department officials said.
The ‘Chillai-Kalan’ period ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
The officials said while the weather remained dry across Kashmir, temperatures dipped at most places last night and settled several notches below the freezing point.
The minimum temperature last night was also several points below the normal for this part of the season in the Valley, they said.
Srinagar – the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir – was the only place in the valley where the night temperature rose last night.
