Srinagar, Jan 13 Minimum temperature dropped several notches below the freezing point in Kashmir on Monday as intense cold affected life in J&K.
The minimum temperature was minus 5.1 degrees Celsius in Srinagar city while it was minus 6.5 and minus 8.4 in Gulmarg and Pahalgam respectively.
Jammu city had 7.2 degrees Celsius, Katra town 6, Batote 2.6, Banihal minus 0.6 and Bhaderwah minus 0.4 as the minimum temperature.
A Meteorological (MeT) department statement said, “Weather would be mainly clear and dry in J&K on January 13. On January 14, mainly cloudy, but dry. On January 15 and 16, generally cloudy with light snow in isolated higher reaches during the 16th early morning. On January 17 to 19, generally cloudy with nothing significant till the 19th.”
Tourists and travellers have been advised to follow the advisory issued by the traffic department.
People in the Jammu division observed the ‘Lohri’ festival, which is a seasonal festival marking the end of winter cold in the division. It is generally believed that the weather improves remarkably after the Lohri festival, but climatically, the 40-day period of intense cold in the Valley remains unabated till January 30.
The 40-day-long period of intense winter called locally the ‘Chillai Kalan’ started on December 21 and will end on January 30. Doctors have advised people especially children and elders to avoid long exposure to intense cold, which causes hypothermia. This leads to constriction of blood vessels resulting in heart attacks and heart failures.
With shortages of electric power in the Valley people rely more on traditional methods to keep themselves warm. An earthen firepot woven in a basket of willow wicker called the ‘Kangri’ is filled with ember and kept under the loose tweed overgarment, the ‘Pheran’. The Pheran and the Kangri are still the best friends of Kashmiris when all modern heating appliances fail to live up to their expectations.
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