Srinagar city faced the coldest night of the season as the mercury dipped several notches to settle at minus 3.7 degrees Celsius, while other parts of Jammu and Kashmir also braved freezing cold wave.
"The minimum temperature recorded in Srinagar was minus 3.7 degrees Celsius, a drop of 3.4 degrees compared to the previous night," an official of the MET department said here.
He said the minimum temperature stayed below the freezing point across the Kashmir division including the twin towns of Leh and Kargil in Ladakh region.
Kargil was the coldest recorded place in the state as the minimum temperature settled at minus 14.2 degrees last night, registering a dip of nearly three degrees compared to 24 hours earlier, he said.
The MET official said Leh recorded a low of minus 13.8 degrees Celsius last night.
The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg, in north Kashmir, registered a night temperature of minus 10.0 degrees as compared to the previous nights minus 8.8 degrees Celsius.
The mercury in Pahalgam which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir appreciated slightly to settle at minus 7.3 degrees against minus 7.5 degrees the previous night, the official said.
Qazigund and Kokernag both in south Kashmir recorded minus 3.3 degrees and minus 2.8 degrees respectively.
The night temperature in Kupwara town in north Kashmir dropped further to settle at minus 4.1 degrees.
The MET Office said the weather will remain mainly dry over the next 24 hours.
Chillai-Kalan, which began with winter solstice on
December 21 and ends January 31, is the harshest period of winter in Kashmir when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum.
The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day-long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai Bachha' (baby cold).
However, the harshest winter period has thus far remained largely dry except for brief spells of light snow in plains on two occasions and moderate snowfall in the higher reaches on a few occasions.
Owing to the dry weather, the minimum temperature in the Valley has mostly hovered below the freezing point and resulted in increase in common ailments like cough and cold among the people here.
The doctors have advised people, especially children and elderly, to take precautions and refrain from venturing out in morning and evening hours.
