Srinagar, Dec 20: Chilai-Kalan, the 40-day harshest winter period, is all set to commence on Tuesday night amid the persistent dry spell in Jammu and Kashmir while the weatherman here has predicted cloudy weather conditions on December 26 and light to moderate rains/snowfall on December 29-30.
Chilai-Kalan begins on December 21 and ends on January 31 next year. It is followed by a 20-day-long Chilai-Khurd that occurs between January 31 and February 19 and a 10-day long Chilai-Bachha, which is from February 20 to March 02.
As the harshest winter period is set to begin in the intervening night of Tuesday-Wednesday, Deputy Director Meteorological department (MeT), Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad while talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that amid persistent dry spell, the weather conditions would remain cloudy on December 26 with chances of light snowfall over extreme higher reaches.
He further said that on December 29-30, there is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall, snowfall at scattered places.
Moreover, the three months of winter from December-February in the past two consecutive years have recorded deficient rainfall.
Divulging the details, an Independent Weather Forecaster, Faizan Arif has said that in the three months of winter period in 2020-21, J&K has recorded 37 per cent deficient rainfall. “Against the normal precipitation of 288.4 mm, J&K has recorded only 180.9 mm rainfall during the three months in 2020-21,” he said.
Sharing month-wise details, he said that December 2020 has recorded a deficient rainfall of 74 per cent while January 2021 has recorded an excess rainfall of 81 per cent. Also, February 2021 has recorded again a deficient rainfall of 41 percent, he said.
About the previous winter, he said that Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a deficient rainfall of nine percent as against the normal 288.4 mm rainfall, the three months of winters—December, January and February have recorded 262.5 mm rainfall.
Most deficient rainfall was recorded in the month of February 2022 with 73 per cent while J&K has recorded a deficient rainfall of six and nine percent respectively in the months of December 2021 and January 2022, he informed.
About the ongoing month—December 2022, the independent weather forecaster said that J&K has so far recorded a deficient rainfall of over 82 per cent deficient and in some areas, it is over 90 per cent deficient rainfall in J&K.
He also said that the night temperature in plains would go down up to minus 8 degree Celsius while in Srinagar and other districts, the minimum temperature would go down up to minus 6 degree Celsius—(KNO)
