SRINAGAR: Minimum temperatures continued to decline in most parts of Kashmir for a second consecutive night even as dense fog disrupted daily life in the Valley early on Monday, officials said. Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital recorded a low of minus 2.3 degrees Celsius, a slight decrease from the previous night’s minus 2.1 degrees, they said. Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.3 degrees Celsius down from the previous night’s minus 3.9 degrees Celsius. According to the officials, Pahalgam was the coldest place in the Kashmir Valley. Gulmarg, the famous ski resort in Baramulla district, recorded a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius, the officials said. Qazigund recorded a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius while Kokernag witnessed the mercury settle at minus 1.6 degrees and Kupwara at minus 3.0 degrees. The Met department said the weather is likely to remain mainly dry till the end of the month. A dense layer of fog engulfed Srinagar early on Monday, affecting daily life. The flow of traffic was lower than usual in the morning while vehicles were seen moving at slow speeds due to the reduced visibility. ”The visibility in Srinagar at 8.30 am was 91 metres due to the fog cover. Motorists should drive carefully due to the low visibility,” an official of the local Met office said. A Srinagar airport official said some flights from Delhi have been delayed due to poor visibility in the national capital. ”We do not have any issues on this side but some Srinagar-bound flights have been delayed due to dense fog in Delhi,” the official said. According to the India Meteorological Department, the visibility around Palam in Delhi was zero at 8.30 am. Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ the 40-day harshest winter period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably, leading to the freezing of water bodies, including the Dal Lake, as well as water supply lines in several parts of the Valley. The chances of snowfall are the highest during this period and most areas, especially the higher reaches, receive heavy snow. ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ will end on January 31. However, the cold conditions will continue after that with a 20-day ‘Chilla-i-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chilla-i-Bachha’ (baby cold)
