Srinagar, Nov 23 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar city recorded the coldest night of the season so far with the minimum temperature dropping to minus 2.8 degrees Celsius, while Jammu recorded 10.1 degrees Celsius as the night’s lowest.

Meteorological Department officials said the minimum temperature in Srinagar dropped to minus 2.8 degrees Celsius.

“Srinagar city witnessed the coldest night of this season so far at minus 2.8 degrees Celsius today, while Pahalgam recorded minus 3.5 and Gulmarg zero as the minimum temperature. Jammu city had 10.1, Katra town 9.8, Batote 4.5, Banihal minus 0.5 and Bhaderwah 0.5 as the minimum temperature today,” the officials said.

The officials also predicted no appreciable change in the weather in Jammu and Kashmir till December 2, and in the coming days, the minimum temperature is likely to drop further.

Due to the winter cold having set in earlier, authorities have announced winter vacation for classes up to the 8th standard from December 1.

People are seen protecting themselves from chilly winds blowing into the Kashmir Valley from the snow-clad mountains by wearing woollens and wrapping thick mufflers around their necks.

The most preferred winter wear, a tweed overgarment called the ‘Pheran’, is a Kashmiri’s best bet to avoid the winter cold.

An earthen firepot woven in a willow wicker basket, called the ‘Kangri’, is filled with live charcoal and kept under a loose-fitting Pheran to ward off the cold.

The 40-day-long period of harsh winter cold, ‘Chillai Kalan’, begins on December 21 each year and ends on January 30.

During this period, most water bodies in the Valley freeze as the minimum temperature drops between minus 5 and minus 7 degrees Celsius.

In cities and urban areas, people have to burn small fires around the water taps to de-freeze them in the morning during the Chillai Kalan.

Roads and lanes become slippery as dense morning fog makes pedestrian and vehicular movement difficult.

Doctors have cautioned people, especially children and the elderly, to protect themselves from direct exposure to cold air, as this is the main cause of lung-related ailments during the winter months.

People have been advised to cover their faces in the morning with a woollen muffler or other thick piece of cloth to prevent cold air from getting into their lungs.

Despite the hardships faced by people during the winter months, Kashmiris always look forward to a bountiful winter when the land gets covered with pristine white snow, and the perennial water reservoirs in the mountains are replenished to sustain springs, streams, lakes and rivers in the summer months.

–IANS

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