Kashmir continued to reel under sub-zero temperatures as the mercury remained several degrees below freezing point across the Valley for the third consecutive night, officials said on Wednesday.

Srinagar recorded a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night against minus 4.4 degrees Celsius the night before.

Pahalgam in Anantnag district, which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered a temperature of minus 9.4 degrees Celsius and was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir.

The minimum temperature in Gulmarg, the famous ski resort town in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, recorded a temperature of minus 8.4 degrees Celsius, the officials said.

The Met office has forecast dry weather for the region, leading to colder nights and slightly warmer daytime temperatures, over the next few days.

Qazigund, the gateway town to the Valley, also witnessed a slight rise in the minimum temperature on Tuesday night, registering a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius.

In Kupwara, a frontier district, the minimum temperature settled at minus 6.0 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 3.8 degrees, the officials said.

The less-than-normal precipitation this winter has resulted in increased respiratory problems for residents, particularly the children and the elderly, doctors said.

The sub-zero temperatures have resulted in several water bodies in the Valley freezing.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of Chilla-i-Kalan, the 40-day harshest weather period when the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent.

'Chilla-i-Kalan' begins on December 21 and ends on January 30.

The cold wave continues even after that with a 20-day-long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day-long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold) following it.

Most areas of the Valley received snowfall on Thursday.

A man walks at a snow covered paddy field during season's first snowfall in Srinagar. PTI image

Piercing cold swept Punjab and Haryana Wednesday with minimum temperatures hovering below normal at many places.

Many places in both states remained shrouded in a dense layer of fog in the morning, reducing visibility.

The two states have been in the grip of intense cold for the past several days.

According to the Meteorological Department, Gurdaspur was the coldest place in Punjab recording a minimum temperature of 2.5 degrees Celsius.

Bathinda recorded a low of 4.6 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana 5.8 degrees Celsius, Patiala 6 degrees Celsius, and Mohali 6.8 degrees Celsius while Amritsar reeled at 5.9 degrees Celsius.

A man wrapped in a shawl carries a child on a cold winter day, in Gurugram. PTI image

In Haryana, Narnaul recorded a minimum temperature of 3.8 degrees Celsius.

Hisar recorded a low of 5.9 degrees Celsius, Bhiwani 6.7 degrees Celsius, Karnal 6.3 degrees Celsius, Rohtak 6.6 degrees Celsius, and Sirsa 5.8 degrees Celsius while Ambala's minimum settled at 6.3 degrees Celsius.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 6.2 degrees Celsius.