With the year approaching its end, the temperatures are plumetting across the country, especially the northern Himalayan states with the onset of ‘Chillai Kalan’ in Jammu and Kashmir.

Apart from Jammu and Kashmir, Leh Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and the national capital are currently bearing the predominant brunt with a notable drop in temperature.

Apart from the shivers, intensely foggy conditions have also been shrouding the northern states including Delhi over the past few days, significantly hampering air traffic and daily commute.

Leh-Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir turn white

Jammu and Kashmir’s annual phenomenon which is constitutes 40 days of severe cold, locally referred to as ‘Chillai Kalan’ has begun with several districts waking up to thick blankets of snow on Sunday.

Chillai Kalan starts on December 21 and ends on January 31, reported news agency ANI. It is a period marked by sub-zero temperatures, frozen water bodies including the iconic Dal lake where shikaras are seen wading way through frozen conditions, and landscapes covered in frost and snow.

Apart from Srinagar, Anantnag recorded its first rainfall and Ganderbal’s Sonamarg saw the season’s first snowfall today, marking the beginning of Chillai Kalan.

Today, Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded a low of 2.8 degrees Celsius, while Kukernag recorded 3.3 degrees Celsius and Gulmarg recorded -1.5 degrees Celsius as their lowest temperatures.

Dense fog blanketed Srinagar with low visibility reported near Dal lake with boat rides and sightseeing still operating.

Authorities have advised residents and visitors to take precautions against the cold and monitor weather updates, especially in areas prone to sudden snowfall and fog.

Further up north, Leh turned into a white paradise as the region recieved its first spell of snow today. Visuals from ANI showed trees, houses and fences completely covered in snow.

Leh recorded a low of -1.6 degrees Celsius today followed by Kiru at -1.2, Kargil at -0.9 and and Nimoo Bazgo at -0.8 degrees Celsius.

Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand experience chills

In Himachal, Kukumseri in the tribal Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest as it recorded the lowest temperature at -2.4 degrees Celsius followed by Tabo which recorded temperatures as low as 1.1 degrees Celsius.

The local meterological office at Shimla issued a yellow warning for high foggy conditions over and around parts of Bhakra Nangal dam reservoir and Balh valley in Mandi district during early morning or in the morning and late night hours.

The weather remained mainly dry over the day, and dense fog was observed in Bilaspur, while shallow fog was seen in Mandi.

The state barely received any rain in December so far against the normal 20.5 mm of rainfall, marking a deficit of 100 per cent in all 12 districts.

In Uttarakhand, Pithoragarh recorded the lowest temperature at 5 degrees Celsius, according to Dehradun‘s regional meteorological centre.

The state did not see any rainfall or snowfall yet.

Delhi and neighbours shiver as temperatures drop

Apart from the dense fog that has been enveloping the national capital and its neighbouring states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, the states have also experienced a significant drop in temperatures.

Delhi recorded its lowest temperature at 9.4 degrees Celsius and highest at 16.9 degrees Celsius today as a thick blanket of fog persisted throughout the entire day.

At least 129 flights were cancelled at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi international airport on Saturday due to dense fog, Hindustan Times reported.

India meteorological department (IMD) on Sunday and issued an orange alert for the national capital in view of the dense fog that gripped the city.

Air quality plummeted to 377 under the ‘very poor’ category with PM2.5 being the most prominent pollutant.

For Uttar Pradesh, IMD issued a red alert for dense to very dense fog and cold day conditions across several parts, warning that the adverse weather is likely to persist over the next two days.

According to a press release issued by the Meteorological Centre, Lucknow, dense fog conditions were recorded across large parts of the state including Agra, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Bareilly and Jhansi over the past 24 hours, with visibility dropping sharply in many districts.

Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Bareilly, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Hardoi, Etawah, Mainpuri, Aligarh and Mathura and others are among the list of places that are very likely to be hit by intense foggy conditions and sharply low temperatures, IMD said.

Punjab and Haryana are also gripping with chilly temperatures and fog.

Haryana’s Narnaul recorded the coldest temperature at 5.2 degrees Celsius followed by Bhiwani at 6.5 degrees Celsius.

In Rajasthan, Churu recorded the lowest temperature at 9.2 degrees Celsius followed by Karauli at 10.1 and Alwar at 11 degrees Celsius.