Night temperatures across Kashmir division dipped after a day's respite with the mercury settling below freezing point at most places, including Leh, which was the coldest place in the state at minus 11.4 degrees.
The Meteorological Department here has predicted mainly dry weather in the state for the week ahead which could lead to a further drop in night temperature.
The temperature in Leh town, in Ladakh region, plummeted over 12 degrees from the previous night's low of 1.3 degrees Celsius, to settle at minus 11.4 degrees Celsius, an official of the MET department said here. Leh was the coldest place in the state.
The official said the nearby Kargil town recorded a low of minus 9.1 degrees Celsius.
Srinagar -- the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir recorded minimum temperature of 0.1 degrees Celsius, slightly down from the previous night's 0.5 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said the city and the south Kashmir town of Kokernag were the only two places in the Valley where the night temperature settled above the freezing point.
Kokernag registered a low of 0.4 degree Celsius over three degrees down from 3.7 degrees Celsius yesterday, the official said.
Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 0.1 degrees Celsius against 1.2 degrees Celsius of the previous night, while Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir Valley, registered minimum temperature of minus 1.2 degrees Celsius, which was nearly five degrees down from 3.6 degrees Celsius yesterday.
The ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius compared to minus 2.0 degrees Celsius previous night, the official said.
Pahalgam, which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra shivered at a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, which was nearly seven degrees down from the previous night's 2.6 degrees Celsius.
Kashmir had received rainfall on Saturday night which had ended a prolonged spell of dry weather in the Valley and provided much needed respite from the weather-related health issues like cough and common cold.
The minimum temperature across Kashmir division had also increased due to the cloud cover, leading to a temporary respite from the cold conditions.
However, with the Meteorological Department forecasting mainly dry weather in the state over the week ahead a further drop in night temperatures could be witnessed.
Kokernag in south Kashmir registered a low of minus 7.1
degrees, down from yesterday's minus 5.9 degrees Celsius, the MeT official said, adding it was the coldest night of the season so far in the town.
Qazigund town in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 7.2 degrees, three degrees down from yesterday's minus 4.2 degrees Celsius.
The official said it was the season's coldest night in the town referred to as gateway to Kashmir Valley.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan' considered the harshest period of winter, when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.
The region witnessed heavy snowfall of the season on Friday last.
'Chillai-Kalan', which began on December 21 last year, ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that.
The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).
