Cold slightly abates in Kashmir

Srinagar, Dec 20: (UNI) There was a slight relief from extreme cold in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as the mercury improved at night ahead of the 40-day coldest part of the winter beginning at midnight Monday, the Meteorological Department office.
Srinagar, which experienced two consecutive coldest nights of the season at minus 6.0 degree Celsius, saw the situation improve to a still minus 4.3 degrees below normal.
The 40-day “Chillai-e-Kalan” will continue till January 29 in the Kashmir valley and will be followed by a 20-day “Chillai Khurd” or small cold from January 30 to February 18 and a 10-day “Chilia Bachha” or baby cold from February 19 to 28 every year.
A day ago, the mercury plummeted to minus 6.0 degrees Celsius in Srinagar. It was the lowest in December so far.
The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded minus 5.5 against minus 7.5 degree Celsius, up by 2 degrees the previous night.
Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, had a low of minus 6.0 degree Celsius against the minus 6.5 degree Celsius the previous night. Pahalgam in south Kashmir shivered at minus 7.4 degree Celsius against the minus 8.7 degree Celsius on Sunday night.
Kokernag in south Kashmir showed a slight improvement.
Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a minimum of minus 5.2 degree Celsius against minus 6.1 degree Celsius the previous night.
The mercury also slightly improved in Leh town in Ladakh — minus 18.0 degree Celsius against Sunday night’s minus 19.5 degree Celsius. Kargil recorded minus 11.5 degrees, against minus 14.5 degrees.
Drass recorded a low of minus 19.0 degrees against minus 20.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday.