Srinagar, Nov 10 (IANS) For the first time this season, the minimum temperature dropped below the freezing point on Monday as Srinagar city recorded minus 0.1 degrees Celsius.

The Meteorological (MeT) Department officials said, “This is for the first time this season that the minimum temperature has dropped below the freezing point in Srinagar city.”

Gulmarg recorded minus 0.2 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam was the coldest at minus 3.2 degrees.

“Weather is likely to remain dry for the next fortnight and due to a clear night sky, the minimum temperature is likely to fall further in the coming days”, the MeT department officials said.

Jammu city recorded 11.5 degrees Celsius, Mata Vaishno Devi basecamp town of Katra 11, Batote 4.6 and Bhaderwah 2.2 as the minimum temperature on Monday.

Due to the morning and evening chilly winds blowing into the Valley from snow-clad mountain tops, mornings and evenings are cold in Kashmir, and locals have started covering themselves with heavy woollens.

Tweed overgarment, called the ‘Pheran’, is the traditional winter wear for the people living in the Valley. As winter becomes colder, an earthen pot filled with charcoal woven in a willow wicket basket called the ‘Kangri’ is used inside the Pheran to ward off extreme winter cold.

The 40-day-long period of extreme cold called the ‘Chillai Kalan’ starts on December 21 and ends on January 30 each year. During this period, most water bodies in the Valley freeze either completely or partially.

Pulmonologists have cautioned people, especially elders and children, not to expose themselves to extreme cold, as this causes severe chest congestion and infection during the winter months. Renowned Pulmonologist, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, has said that those people who are suffering from other ailments need to take extra precautions to save themselves from extreme cold during the winter months.

–IANS

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