Leh Freezes At Minus 14, J&K Reels Under Cold Wave 

Srinagar: A day ahead of the 40-day 'Chillai Kalan', Leh in Jammu and Kashmir froze at minus 14 degrees Celsius, while Srinagar on Tuesday witnessed its coldest night at minus 5.5, the Meteorological Department said.

In Kashmir, Chillai Kalan (major cold) is followed by a 20-day long Chillai Khurd (minor cold) and a 10-day long Chillai Bache (infantile cold). Historically, during this period, Kashmir people stayed indoors surviving on dried preserved food and enjoying folklore and traditional music.

"Weather is likely to remain dry with clear night sky during the next 24 hours (till Wednesday) indicating a further drop in the night temperatures across the state," a Met official said. The Dal Lake has already frozen partially almost halting boating activities. Frozen water taps and slippery roads were causing inconvenience to the residents. According to the Met office, the minimum temperature was minus 6.2 in Pahalgam and minus 3.0 in Gulmarg. In the Jammu region, Jammu city was at 5.6 degrees Celsius in the night while Katra was at 9.6. Batote recorded a 5.4, Bannihal 0.7 and Bhaderwah 0.7 as the night's minimum.