Srinagar, Dec. 18 -- The prolonged dry spell is expected to break in Jammu and Kashmir with possibility of snowfall from December 20-21 coinciding with the beginning of Chillai Kalan, the harshest period of winter in Kashmir valley. Following a long dry spell largely continuing for the past six weeks, the meteorological centre in Srinagar said that the weather is expected to take a wet turn from the night of December 20 owing to the arrival of a western disturbance. "The weather is expected to be generally cloudy with possibility of light to moderate snow over higher reaches of Kashmir division and light rain at many places (plains) of J&K towards late-night of December 20 to the evening of December 21," the director of MeT, J&K, Mukhtar Ahmad said in an update. The Himalayan valley witnessed a prolonged dry spell since the beginning of November leading to dry and parched landscape and river beds with little water while temperatures dropped to below zero."The cloudy weather and light snow may continue at isolated higher reaches on December 22 as well," he said.Chilai Kalan, Kashmir's harshest 40-day winter period, starts December 21 and is usually the coldest period of the season with maximum snowfall expected during the period. The harsh winter period is followed by 20 more days which are less intense(called Chillai Khurd) and then lastly 10 days of mild cold (Chille Bache). The union territory including the Himalayan valley, owing to the dry spell, witnessed 85% deficit in rain or snowfall across the region. Officials and weather experts said that J&K witnessed just 6 mm of average rainfall against a normal precipitation of 43 mm from November 01 to December 09. Kashmir gets 70% of its precipitation through Western Disturbances - moisture-laden winds from the Mediterranean - with normally December, January and February as snow months and March and April (receiving above 100mm each) as the wettest rain months. Meanwhile, sub-zero night temperatures continued to prevail across most parts of the Kashmir valley. The capital Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night. In south Kashmir, Qazigund recorded a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag registered a minimum of minus 0.1 degrees Celsius. Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at minus 2.2 degrees Celsius while the popular ski resort of Gulmarg recorded a minimum temperature of 1.6 degrees Celsius, the only weather monitoring station to witness temperatures above freezing point....