An IMD official was quoted as saying that Wednesday night was the coldest in Srinagar as the minimum temperature settled at minus 5°Celsius — 0.7° lower from -4.3°Celsius recorded on Tuesday night, leading to freezing of water supply lines at several places.

The ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a low of -11.2°Celsius on Wednesday, two degrees lower than Tuesday's -9°Celsius, he said. The night temperature at Pahalgam resort, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir, settled at a low of -12.7°Celsius as against -11.4°Celsius on Wednesday.

Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, was the coldest recorded place in the valley.

Kokernag town, also in south Kashmir, recorded a low of -6.9°Celsius, while Kupwara, in the north, registered a minimum temperature of -5.6°Celsius. IMD also said that Leh, in Ladakh union territory, recorded a low of -18°Celsius.

On Thursday, the Drass belt in the Kargil district became the coldest place in the twin Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, recording a minimum temperature of -30.2°Celsius.

The IMD has forecast mainly dry weather for the week ahead in Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan', which is the 40-day period of the harshest winter when the chances of snowfall are high and the temperature drops considerably.

'Chillai-Kalan' began on 21 December and will end on 31 January, but the cold wave continues in Kashmir. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).