No respite from cold wave in Kashmir till Jan 24: MeT

Srinagar, Jan 15: Despite the anticipated dry weather forecast, cold temperatures persist in Srinagar, reaching a low of minus 4.3°C on Monday. The Meteorological Department has forecasted mainly dry weather till 25th January in the region.
The weather forecast suggests dry conditions until January 24 in Jammu and Kashmir, despite the presence of two Western Disturbances (WDs) this week.
Director MeT Srinagar, Dr.Mukhtar Ahmad said that the region may experience generally cloudy weather with light rain and snow over isolated middle and higher reaches on January 16th and 20th nights due to these WDs.
“Despite indications from various models, significant weather activity is not expected until January 24. However, there is a possibility of light rain and snow at scattered places from January 25-27,” he said.
Dr. Mukhtar said that additionally, dense fog and cold day conditions are anticipated to persist over the plains of the Jammu region until Tuesday.
Due to the arrival of a mild Western Disturbance, Gurez, Drass, and other higher elevations in the Valley experienced light snowfall on Saturday. However, popular tourist destinations in Kashmir such as Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg, and Doudepathri continue to remain dry. Srinagar city and other areas in Kashmir enjoyed bright sunshine once again.
Throughout December and January, there has been a noticeable deficiency in precipitation in Jammu and Kashmir. The majority of the plains and lower mountainous regions still lack significant snowfall. Meanwhile, the Jammu region is grappling with foggy weather and daytime temperatures colder than those in Kashmir.
According to independent weather spotter Faizan Arif, Jammu City recorded its lowest temperature in January since 2016 at 2.5°C during the night.
“Today’s minimum temperature is 4.5°C below the usual temperature. On January 24, 2016, Jammu City recorded a minimum temperature of 0.5°C, which also stands as the all-time lowest temperature recorded in the City,” he shared on the Kashmir_Weather handle on X (formerly Twitter).
As per the MeT, Qazigund experienced a minimum temperature of minus 4.2°C, down from minus 3.0°C the previous night, marking a 2.2°C deviation below the seasonal norm for this gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam reported a low of minus 5.6°C, just 0.1°C lower than the previous night, with a 1.5°C above-normal reading for this renowned resort in south Kashmir.
In south Kashmir’s Kokernag, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 2.0°C, slightly higher than the previous night’s minus 2.2°C, and 1.6°C above the normal for the location, according to the official.
North Kashmir’s Kupwara town witnessed a low of minus 4.1°C, a marginal drop from the previous night, registering a 1.1°C below-normal temperature.
Gulmarg, the renowned skiing resort in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 2.8°C, a notable decrease from the previous night’s minus 1.2°C, with the temperature standing 5.1°C above the seasonal average.
Jammu, the winter capital of J&K, reported a minimum temperature of 3.0°C, down from 2.5°C the previous night, indicating a 4.0°C below-normal reading.
Other temperature recordings included Banihal at minus 0.8°C, Batote at 3.8°C, and Bhaderwah at 1.3°C.
Kashmir is currently in the middle of ‘Chillai-Kalan,’ a 40-day harsh winter period set to conclude on January 29. However, winter will persist with ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (January 30 to February 19) and ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (February 20 to March 1) to follow.