Pahalgam plunges to –5.6°C, Srinagar shivers at –4.4°C as cold wave grips Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir’s famed winter playground slipped into an icy embrace on Sunday, as Pahalgam froze at a biting –5.6°C and Srinagar shivered at –4.4°C — a chill so deep that it marked the coldest November the Valley has seen since 2007.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the mercury tumbled across the region: Gulmarg settled at –1.4°C, while Jammu recorded a crisp 8.8°C, Katra 9°C, Batote 4.7°C, Banihal –0.7°C and Bhaderwah a fragile 0.3°C. With dry weather expected to hold till 10 December, officials warn that the night temperatures are poised to slip even lower in the days ahead.

As the Valley awoke to a pale, reluctant sun straining through a gauzy sky, its weak warmth did little to comfort early risers braving the frost-laden air. The worsening cold wave prompted authorities to announce winter vacations: classes up to 8 will break from 1 December, while students from classes 9 to 12 will begin their recess on 11 December.

Across Kashmir, the season has sparked a quiet, graceful transformation. People have slipped back into their beloved Pherans, the long, flowing woollen cloaks that drape the winter months in tradition. In the countryside — and in many city homes too — the old rhythm continues: men and women cradle the glowing Kangri, an earthen firepot nestled inside wicker, held close beneath the Pheran to keep the cold at bay.

All this unfolds as the Valley inches toward its most unforgiving stretch of winter — Chillai Kalan, the 40-day spell of fierce cold that begins on December 21. During these weeks, still waters stiffen into ice, taps freeze solid overnight, and days hover stubbornly in single digits, while nights frequently dip to –5°C or –7°C.

It is a season that tests endurance, renews rituals, and wraps Kashmir in a stark, beautiful silence — a landscape sculpted by frost, tradition, and the quiet resilience of its people.

With IANS inputs