Srinagar:
Kashmir witnessed snowfall for the third consecutive day on Tuesday as residents of the valley continued to experience warmer than usual night temperature.
“Light to moderate snowfall has been been going on intermittently across Kashmir, including Srinagar city,” an official of the MeT department said.
However, flight operations to and fro Srinagar airport were going on as per schedule, an official of the Airport Authority of India said.
The snowfall has resulted in night temperature staying closer to freezing point in the city for the second consecutive night, he said.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius on Monday night.
The official said the ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded the low of minus 6.0 degrees Celsius last night 2.0 degrees up from Monday.
The night temperature at Pahalgam resort, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 3.9 degrees Celsius nearly a degree down from minus 3.0 degrees Celsius on Monday, he said.
Qazigund the gateway town to the valley – in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 1.3 degree Celsius, he said.
Kokernag town, also in south, recorded a low of minus 4.5 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara, in north, registered the minimum of minus 1.2 degrees Celsius, the official said.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ – the 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.
‘Chillai-Kalan’ began on December 21 and ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
