What Is Chillai Kalan? Explaining Kashmir’s Coldest Phase as Sonamarg Shivers at –11.2°C

Srinagar:

Kashmir continued to reel under severe cold conditions as night temperatures dipped several degrees below the freezing point across most parts of the Valley, officials said on Thursday. However, some locations, including Srinagar, recorded slightly warmer-than-expected minimum temperatures.The minimum temperature in Srinagar settled at minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, lower than the previous night’s 0.1 degrees Celsius, but still 0.3 degrees above the seasonal average, officials said.Sonamarg, in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, was the coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir, recording a low of minus 11.2 degrees Celsius, compared to minus 9.8 degrees Celsius the previous night.

The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district registered a minimum temperature of minus 9 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam in south Kashmir, also a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 4.5 degrees Celsius.Also Read - J&K Avalanche Caught On CCTV: Moment When Snow Storm Hit Sonamarg In other parts of the Valley, the minimum temperature in Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, settled at zero degrees Celsius. Kokernag recorded minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara in north Kashmir registered minus 3.5 degrees Celsius, officials added.

What Is Chillai Kalan?

Chillai Kalan is the 40-day period of intense winter cold in Kashmir, during which night temperatures frequently fall well below freezing and the chances of snowfall are at their highest.Chillai Kalan began on December 21 and is set to end on January 30.However, cold conditions do not end with Chillai Kalan. It is followed by a 20-day Chillai Khurd (small cold) and a 10-day Chillai Bachha (baby cold), during which temperatures remain low, though less severe.The Meteorological Department said the weather is expected to remain cloudy but dry till January 31.It added that a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect the region on February 1, which could bring another spell of wet weather to Kashmir.