Cold wave intensified across Kashmir Valley as the mercury dropped at most places after a day of respite even as prolonged dry spell resulted in increase in common ailments like cough and cold among the people here.
In Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, the minimum temperature decreased by over three degrees as the mercury settled at minus 3.8 degrees Celsius against yesterday's minus 0.7 degrees Celsius, an official of the MeT department said here.
Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, recorded a minimum of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius against minus 2.4 degrees Celsius the previous night, he said.
The hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp during the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius, a decrease of over nearly three degrees from yesterday's minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, the official said.
While the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, registered a low of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius, Kupwara town in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature in southern Kokernag resort settled at minus 2.3 degrees Celsius, the official said.
The mercury in Leh, in the frontier Ladakh region, went up by over four degrees as it recorded the low of minus 9.2 degrees Celsius against the previous night's minus 13.3 degrees Celsius, the MeT official said.
The nearby town of Kargil registered the minimum of minus 10 degrees Celsius as compared to the yesterday's low of minus 15 degrees Celsius, the official said.
Kashmir Valley is currently under the grip of the 40-day harsh winter period known as 'Chillai-Kalan' during which chances of snowfall are most frequent.
The prolonged dry spell during the winter has resulted in increase in common ailments like cough, cold and respiratory problems particularly among children and elderly.
The MeT office here has said that there is possibility of light snowfall in the plains of the Valley on January 4 and 5, while the higher reaches would receive moderate snowfall.
Though the Chillai-Kalan ends on January 31, the cold wave usually continues even after that. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).
