The higher reaches of Kashmir Valley on Tuesday witnessed fresh snowfall while the plain continued to shiver under the intense cold wave, officials said.
Officials said that light snowfall was recorded last night in the famous tourist resort of Sonamarg and a few isolated places in the higher reaches of the valley.
The fall in mercury led to the freezing of water supply lines even as a thin layer of ice covered the surface of several water bodies.
Kashmir is witnessing intense cold wave conditions, with the maximum temperature in the summer capital of J&K settling over 6 degrees below normal for this season.
The MET office in Srinagar has predicted a further dip of two to three degrees in the minimum temperatures till December 26.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius on Monday night - down three degrees from the previous night, the meteorological department said.
Pahalgam, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 7.8 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night's minus 5 degrees Celsius, it said.
Meanwhile, the night temperature in the majority of the tourist spots remained several degrees below the freezing point.
Gulmarg recorded minus 7.4 degrees Celsius, and Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, logged a minimum temperature of minus 6.2 degrees Celsius.
Interestingly, Hamlet Konibal, located in the Pampore area, remained the coldest place in the valley, with night-time temperatures plummeting to minus 8.5 degrees Celsius, it said.
Kashmir is currently witnessing “Chillai Kalan,” a harsh 40-day period; during this time, the cold along with the chances of snowfall intensifies across the Kashmir Valley.
The 40-day period is divided into three different phases, starting from December 21 and lasting till January 31 every year.
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