Dry spell to continue amid chilling cold

SYED AMJAD SHAH

Jammu, Dec 14: Even as the state weathermen have predicted chilling cold this winter, the prevailing dry spell in the state is likely to continue for some more time.

After the driest ever November this year, it doesn’t look like the situation will be getting any better this month, the Met officials said. The forecasters fear the dry spell may continue till January.

As per the Met officials strong Western Disturbances (WD) still eludes the region, which has resulted in non-formation of low pressure winds in the state. This, they said, has resulted into the prolonged dry spell. They said that observations suggest that the the dry phase would continue for some more time and the rain is expected to make its way in this part of the world only by the end of January.

State already witnessed lowest temperature of the season on Sunday when Jammu recorded minimum temperature of 6.9 degree Celsius, while mercury dipped to -5.2 degree Celsius in Srinagar.

The weather has shown slight improvement in last two days, the Met official said adding that minimum temperature recorded in Jammu, last night, was 8.7 degree Celsius, while it was -4.4 degree Celsius in Srinagar.

“We are not seeing any cloud formation in the state, especially during the night hours which has resulted into the intense cold wave”, sources said.

“If the low pressure system fails to develop in coming days, it will lead to further decrease in the temperature”.

Since the establishment of the state Metrological observatory in 1982 , the official said, the department recorded 0.9 degree Celsius as lowest ever temperature in Jammu City on December 28, 1998, while the all time low temperature in Kashmir was recorded at -12.8 degree Celsius on December 13, 1964, .