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It is extremely cold in the Kashmir Valley and the air quality is also deteriorating, because the most difficult time of winter, **Chillai-Kalan** (starting from 21st December) is about to come. Prolonged dry weather and dense fog have left water sources frozen, disrupting daily life, and pollution levels have become hazardous to health.

Night temperatures dropped below freezing point in most areas, with **Zojila Pass** recording a cold of **minus 17°C**—the coldest point in the region. In the Valley, **Awantipora** was the coldest at **minus 3.8°C**, followed by Pulwama (**minus 3.2°C**), Pampore and Baramulla (**minus 1.8°C** each), and Shopian (**minus 1.5°C**). Srinagar city recorded a temperature of **0.2°C**, while tourist places like Pahalgam (**0.4°C**), Gulmarg (**1.6°C**), and Sonamarg (**2.1°C**) witnessed slightly better weather.

Minimum temperature remained high in Jammu region, with Jammu city recording **11.0°C**. In Ladakh, Leh recorded a temperature of **minus 3.4°C**.

There is dense fog in the morning and evening, while people are facing problems due to frozen objects.

The air quality has deteriorated due to dry weather and inversions. Srinagar’s AQI is around **156-178** (poor), with PM2.5 being the main pollutant. The air quality is in the poor to very poor levels at some places in Baramulla (~178), Bandipora (~172), and other districts.

Health advice: Officials are advising vulnerable people to limit going out until conditions improve.

Forecast: Weather will remain dry and cloudy till December 19. A western disturbance from late night of 20-21 December may cause light to moderate snowfall in higher reaches and rain in plains, which may reduce pollution but may increase the risk of slipping on roads.