J&K’s Srinagar records season’s coldest night so far at 0.2 degrees

As the night deepened over the Kashmir Valley on Friday, 7 November, winter announced its quiet yet piercing arrival. Srinagar shivered at a bone-numbing 0.2°C, marking its coldest night of the season, while the hill stations of Gulmarg and Pahalgam slipped below freezing — –2.6°C and –3°C, respectively.

According to the meteorological department, the chill is far from over. With clear skies and snow-capped mountains radiating the day’s stored cold back into the valley, temperatures are expected to plunge even further over the next ten days.

In homes and streets alike, Kashmiris have turned once more to their timeless companions — woollens, the pheran, and the kangri, that earthen pot of glowing embers cradled close beneath layers of fabric. The streets are now dotted with figures wrapped in tweed and warmth, their breath misting in the frosty air as they move through the valley’s serene stillness.

By day, a feeble autumn sun filters through the mist, casting long, soft rays that fail to thaw the chill carried down by winds from the snow-laden Pir Panjal. But for a few brief hours, baskers gather in sunlit courtyards, soaking up whatever warmth they can before dusk draws its icy veil again.

Soon, Kashmir will enter the Chillai Kalan — the dreaded 40-day reign of deep winter, stretching from 21 December to 30 January. During this time, lakes and streams will freeze into delicate glass, water taps will solidify overnight, and residents will rise at dawn to coax the frost away with small fires.

Further south, the cold’s touch is gentler — Jammu recorded a low of 11.6°C, Katra stood at 12.1°C, Batote at 6.1°C, Banihal at 8.8°C, and Bhaderwah at 4.5°C — a reminder that while the plains await winter’s embrace, the valley already lies in its full, glittering clasp.

With IANS inputs