Srinagar, December 21: The 40-day long harsh winter of 'Chillai Kalan' set in the Kashmir Valley on Friday with its full fury as minimum temperatures dropped further below the freezing point. Chillai Kalan begins on December 21 and ends on January 30 each year. Jammu and Kashmir: Snow Clearing Operations Underway in Rajouri, Watch Video!

This is the most difficult period of winter in the valley as running taps freeze, large water bodies form a crust of frozen ice on their surface and commuters have to battle with slippery roads. The Met office has forecast cold and dry weather at least for the next seven days till December 28. Jammu and Kashmir: Temperature Falls to Minus 3.2 Degrees Celsius in Srinagar, Likely to Drop Further.

The minimum temperature was minus 4.4 in Srinagar while it was minus 7.5 in Pahalgam and minus 6 in Gulmarg. In the Ladakh region, Leh town recorded minus 12.7 and Kargil minus 15.1. Jammu city was at 4, Katra 6, Batote 2.1, Bannihal minus 0.8 and Bhaderwah minus 0.5 degrees Celsius.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2018 11:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).