Chilai Kalan, also known as Chila-i-Kalan, is the name given to a 40-day period of harsh winter in Kashmir. It is the coldest winter spell in the valley, and commences on December 21 every year. It gets so cold that the Dal Lake freezes over.
Areas Below Freezing Point
In the current Chilai Kalan (or the big cold) period, large swathes of Kashmir are witnessing temperatures below freezing point. According to reports in local media, the temperature in Srinagar has dropped to minus 3.3 degrees Celsius. South Kashmir's Qazigund and Pahalgam recorded lows of minus 3.0 and 4.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. Gulmarg reported a low of minus 1.0 degrees Celsius. The temperature in Kupwara was minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag recorded a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius.