Weather Report: What is Chilla-i-Kalan? The winter period when Kashmir freezes

Jammu and Kashmir Weather Update: Entire North India is currently in the grip of a severe cold wave. In hilly states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, temperatures have dropped below freezing in many places. 

How is the weather in North India? 

In states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, temperatures are being recorded between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius. Rivers and waterfalls have frozen in the hilly regions. On the other hand, life in the plains has been severely disrupted by the cold wave. Chilla-i-Kalan is being cited as a major reason behind this intense cold.

What is Chilla-i-Kalan?

Chilla-i-Kalan is a Persian word, which means great cold. The period of Chilla-i-Kalan lasts for 40 days. In Kashmir, the 40-day period of intense cold is called Chilla-i-Kalan. Since the beginning of Chilla-i-Kalan on December 21, Kashmir has been experiencing extremely cold weather. During this period, even rivers and waterfalls freeze.

The Kashmir Valley is currently in the grip of 'Chilla-i-Kalan', a 40-day period of intense cold. During this time, night temperatures often drop several degrees below freezing point, and the chances of snowfall are highest. 'Chilla-i-Kalan' began on December 21 last year and will end on January 30, 2026.  The plains of the valley have not yet received any snowfall this season.

What is the situation in Kashmir?

The severity of the cold wave in Kashmir has intensified. Due to a significant drop in minimum temperatures in most parts of the valley, Srinagar and several other places recorded the coldest night of the season. Officials said that due to the intense cold, the edges of several water bodies, including the famous Dal Lake, have frozen.

Officials of the Meteorological Department said that the minimum temperature in Srinagar was recorded at minus 5.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night, which was 3.5 degrees lower than Tuesday night's temperature (minus 1.6 degrees Celsius).

Officials said that this was the coldest night of the season so far in the city, and the minimum temperature was 3.2 degrees below the seasonal average.

Sonamarg, a tourist destination located in the Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir, was the coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir so far, where the temperature was recorded at minus 9.8 degrees Celsius. Officials said that the night temperature in Gulmarg, in North Kashmir's Baramulla district, dropped to minus 9.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest night temperature recorded in Gulmarg so far this winter.

In Pahalgam, a tourist resort in South Kashmir, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 8.6 degrees Celsius, lower than the previous day's minimum temperature (minus 7.2 degrees Celsius).

In Qazigund, considered the gateway to the valley, the minimum temperature dropped by more than five degrees, reaching minus 5.4 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, in Kokernag and Kupwara, the minimum temperatures were recorded at minus 3 degrees Celsius and minus 5.1 degrees Celsius, respectively. Wednesday night was the coldest night of the season in these areas as well.