Cold wave looms over Jammu-Kashmir; Tourists flock to drung waterfall in Gulmarg
Kashmir: A massive crowd of tourists flocked to a partially drung waterfall in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gulmarg, although the valley had minimum temperatures but cold wave conditions remain consistent.
Hundreds of people became a part of the winter spectacle in Gulmarg’s drang, highlighting the renewed spike of tourism in the valley after the recent Pahalgam terror attack which shook the nation, killing 26 civilians.
Despite a rise in minimum temperatures by a couple of degrees, the sub-zero temperatures remain persistent. This led to the valley frozen in parts of Dal Lake and other water bodies.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.4 degree Celsius, here on Saturday, which was higher from the previous night’s 5.2 degrees celsius. However, the Pulwama town located in South Kashmir is recorded to be the coldest place in the valley with a minimum temperature of approximately minus 6.5 degree celsius.
Similarly, Pahalgam and Gulmarg both recorded a low temperature of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius and Sonmarg recorded a minimum temperature of 2.4 degrees Celsius. Qazigund also registered a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, with Kokernag recording minus 1.8 degrees Celsius and Kupwara of minus 3.7 degrees Celsius.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the weather is likely to remain dry and partly cloudy in the valley till January 21. The MET advisory further added, “Moderate fog over plains of Jammu division with dense fog at isolated places is likely to continue during the next five days.”
Kashmir is currently in the midst of ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, which means Kashmir will experience 40 days of extreme cold, with night temperatures dropping several degrees below the freezing point and increasing high chances of snowfall. ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, which marked its beginning on December 21, 2025, ends on January 30, 2026.
North India is not left behind; apart from Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi is witnessing intensifying cold with a minimum temperature of 2.9 degrees Celsius, including Rajasthan witnessing sub-zero temperatures and some places in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir and Uttarakhand also recorded temperatures below zero degree Celsius, with Punjab and Haryana on the borderline of the freezing point.
