On arrival, ChillaiKalaantouches 6-yr old record

Srinagar freezes at minus 6.5 degree Celsius

Srinagar: On its arrival, ChillaiKalaan, the harshest 40-day period of winter in Kashmir, brought the coldest night of the season with temperature dipping below minus 6.5 degree Celsius.

“Mercury in Srinagar plunged further to settle at minus 6.5 degrees Celsius – a degree below the previous night’s minimum of minus 5.5 degrees Celsius,” an official of local Meteorological Department told Greater Kashmir.

The official informed that it was the coldest night of the season so far in Srinagar, adding, “In recent past, Srinagar had recorded minus 6.6 degrees Celsius on December 27, 2010. The all-time low recorded in December in Srinagar is minus 12.8 degrees Celsius on December 13, 1934.”

The cold wave forced most of the commuters who use two wheelers to travel to use alternative mode of transportation on Wednesday. Some water bodies, including the fringes of the Dal Lake and water supply pipes were frozen.

Leh recorded the coldest night of the season as the mercury settled at a low of minus 14.9 degrees Celsius.

“The weather is likely to remain mainly dry across the state during next 24 hours,” said an official.