The mercury continued to touch new lows in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, with Srinagar recording a bone-chilling minus 4.9 degrees Celsius and Leh town reeling under a severe minus 18.2 degrees.
"Srinagar and Leh experienced the lowest temperatures of the season. Due to polar winds blowing into the Kashmir Valley, the minimum temperatures have been falling," Sonam Lotus, director of the local meteorological office, told IANS in Srinagar.
The minimum was minus 8.4 in north Kashmir's ski resort of Gulmarg and minus 7.4 in south Kashmir's Pahalgam hill station.
"Severe cold wave conditions will continue for four to five days. However, due to a feeble approaching disturbance we might get a degree's rise in the minimum temperatures. But we do not expect any rain or snow," Lotus said.
In the last 10 years, the lowest temperature recorded in Srinagar city was on Dec 31, 2007 at minus 7.2. Its lowest ever has been minus 12.8 degrees recorded Dec 13, 1964.