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.

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.

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, Banihal minus 0.8 and Bhaderwah minus 0.5 degrees Celsius. (IANS)