Frosty mornings and dense fog continued to plague Kashmir Valley for the third straight day, disrupting early routines and creating treacherous driving conditions. Srinagar, the summer capital, was shrouded in a thick fog bank, reducing visibility to a mere 50 meters.
The transport department issued a strong advisory for motorists navigating through these “worst foggy conditions in recent memory.” Despite a slight rise from the previous night, temperatures remained frigid, with Srinagar recording -2.6 degrees Celsius and Pahalgam, the Amarnath Yatra base camp, at -4.6 degrees Celsius.
Popular ski resort Gulmarg dipped to -2.8 degrees Celsius, while other towns such as Qazigund, Kokernag, and Kupwara registered lows ranging from -2.2 degrees Celsius to -4.2 degrees Celsius. Dry weather with persistent fog is expected to remain until month’s end, further impacting visibility in several areas.
“Visibility in Srinagar is less than 50 meters due to the fog cover. Motorists should drive carefully,” warned a local meteorological official.
This harsh winter period, known as “Chilla-i-Kalan,” brings a 40-day onslaught of biting cold, freezing water bodies like Dal Lake and disrupting water supply in parts of the Valley. Heavy snowfall is also common during this time, especially in higher reaches.
While Chilla-i-Kalan concludes on January 31st, the frigid grip continues with Chilla-i-Khurd (20 days of “small cold”) and Chilla-i-Bachha (10 days of “baby cold”).
