Srinagar sees Coldest December Night in 50 Years Photo: S Irfan/PTI Srinagar sees Coldest December Night in 50 Years Photo: S Irfan/PTI

The 40-day harsh winter period, Chillai Kalan, has begun with an intense cold wave across Kashmir. Srinagar recorded its coldest December night in over three decadesmegapanalo, with a temperature of minus 8.5°C on Friday. This is the second-lowest December temperature in the last 133 years.

Chillai Kalan extends from December 21 to January 31. It is followed by Chillai Khurd (Small Cold) from January 31 to February 19, and Chillai Bacha (Baby Cold) from February 20 to March 2.

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In the past 24 hours, minimum temperatures were below 0°C over many parts of Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh. Temperatures ranged from 4-8°C across major parts of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Many parts of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Gujarat experienced temperatures between 8-12°C.

"I want to become a coach. That was always my plan but now there is a question of when. After retirement, family comes first. I need to talk with them if they are OK with this. Now you have to listen to your wife a little bit," Sreejesh told PTI editors at its headquarters here on Tuesday.

IMD Forecast | December 22:

Rainfall: Light to moderate rainfall is very likely at a few places, with heavy rainfall expected at isolated locations over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema during December 24-26. Light rainfall or snowfall is likely at isolated places over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh during December 22-24.

Temperature: No significant change in minimum temperatures is expected over Northwest and Central India during the next 24 hours, with a gradual rise of 2-3°C thereafter. No significant change is likely over West and East India (except Gujarat State) in the next 4-5 days. Gujarat State will see no significant change in minimum temperatures for the next 3 days, followed by a gradual rise of 2-3°C.

Cold Wave Warnings: Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely in some parts of Himachal Pradesh on December 22 and 23. Cold wave conditions are also very likely in isolated pockets over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad on December 22 and 23.

Dense Fog Warnings: Dense fog conditions are likely to prevail during the late night and early morning hours in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh on December 24 and 25. Dense fog is also expected in Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Odisha on December 22, and in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on December 22-23. Assam and Meghalaya will experience dense fog from December 22 to 25.

(Inputs from IMD bulletin)megapanalo