Despite a lingering chill, there was a glimmer of hope in Kashmir on Saturday as foggy conditions eased slightly and night temperatures rose marginally. Parts of the Valley, including Srinagar, had been shrouded in dense fog for the past five days, reducing visibility significantly. However, Saturday brought a welcome improvement, with fog lifting and revealing clearer skies.
The Meteorological Centre Srinagar attributed the change to an approaching feeble Western disturbance, predicting cloudy and dry weather with moderate to dense fog over Kashmir and Jammu plains until December 31st. This fog is expected to linger until January 4th due to the absence of any major snowfall.
Meanwhile, the harsh “Chilla-i-Kalan,” Kashmir’s 40-day winter period, continues to grip the region with temperatures remaining below freezing in many areas. While temperatures remained mostly unchanged compared to the previous night, Srinagar saw a slight improvement of 0.5 degrees, recording a minimum temperature of -2.8 degrees Celsius.
Other notable minimum temperatures across the Valley included -2.5 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg, -2.3 degrees Celsius in Kupwara, and -4.5 degrees Celsius in Konibal. Pahalgam, experiencing a welcome rise of over three degrees, reached a minimum of -2.0 degrees Celsius. Qazigund, the southern gateway town, recorded a chilly -2.2 degrees Celsius.
