Drass freezes at minus 22 as cold wave tightens grip on Ladakh

Kargil, Jan 7: Drass in the Ladakh region recorded a minimum temperature of around minus 22 degrees Celsius, marking one of the coldest nights of the ongoing winter season.

Drass is widely known as the world’s second-coldest permanently inhabited place after Siberia. While the temperature of minus 22 degrees Celsius indicates intense cold, the town often experiences even harsher conditions during peak winter, with mercury levels at times plunging to minus 30 degrees Celsius or lower in December and January.

According to the Meteorological Centre Ladakh, Drass recorded a low of minus 22 degrees Celsius, while Leh registered minus 13.4 degrees Celsius. Kargil recorded minus 11.6 degrees Celsius, Nubra Valley minus 11.1 degrees Celsius, Padum minus 16.8 degrees Celsius and Nyoma minus 20.2 degrees Celsius.

The intense cold has gripped several parts of Ladakh and neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir, a pattern typical for this time of the year during the 40-day harsh winter period known as Chillai Kalan, which lasts from December 21 to January 31.