Srinagar, 9 Dec – an intense cold spell is still battering Kashmir on Tuesday, and the Meteorological (MeT) Department is not expecting any snow in either the plains or the higher terrain.
A large number of residents, especially children and the elderly, are getting sick with flu and other respiratory conditions, which are on the rise because of the biting cold and dry air.
Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, a leading pulmonologist, said the Air Quality Index (AQI) has worsened over the past two weeks as suspended particulate matter (SPM) levels climbed.
He added that the number of patients visiting hospitals with chest problems has more than doubled in the last fifteen days.
Nighttime temperatures in the valley have stayed below freezing, and the MeT advisory offered no hopeful news for the next ten days.
According to the advisory, shallow to moderate fog is expected to persist in many parts of the Kashmir division and, sporadically, in the Jammu division.
The advisory read: “On 9th December, partly to generally cloudy weather, on 10‑12th December, partly cloudy. On 13‑15th December, partly to generally cloudy with the possibility of very light snow at isolated higher reaches of North & Central Kashmir towards late night/early morning hours. On 16‑18th December, partly cloudy. On 19‑21st December, partly to generally cloudy with the possibility of light snow at isolated higher reaches.”
Morning clouds offered no respite to early risers, who hurried through the streets of Srinagar with woolen mufflers in hand, grabbing milk and bread for their tea.
The 40‑day stretch of harsh winter called the ‘Chillai Kalan’ kicks off each year on 21 December and runs until 30 January.
During this spell most water bodies in the valley freeze, either partly or entirely, as the gap between day and night temperatures narrows.
Night temperatures during Chillai Kalan usually plunge to –7 °C, while daytime highs rarely exceed 7 °C.
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