Srinagar, Jan 9 (IANS): The minimum temperatures rose by a few notches across Jammu and Kashmir Wednesday as the Kashmir Valley experienced light snowfall, the Met Office said here.

"Due to cloudiness during the night, the minimum temperatures have risen by a few notches across the state today (Wednesday)," Sonam Lotus of India Meteorological Department told IANS.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar was minus 0.3 degree Celsius. It was minus 5.5 degrees Celsius just a day earlier, Tuesday. When people rose in the morning here, they were greeted by a light snowfall that broke the long spell of extreme and dry cold conditions.

"This has brought in some relief for the people as the (Kashmir) valley remained in the grip of cold wave conditions during the last fortnight. There has been a light snowfall in the morning but for the next 72 hours weather is likely to remain dry," the official said.

There has been an appreciable improvement in the night temperatures across the Kashmir Valley and the Ladakh region Wednesday.

In Pahalgam, the minimum temperature rose to minus 3.2 degrees Celsius against Tuesday's minus 9.2 degrees Celsius.

In Gulmarg it was minus 8.4 degrees Celsius against Tuesday's 10 degrees Celsius, and Qazigund town recorded minus 2.6 degrees Celsius Wednesday.

In Leh town of Ladakh region, the minimum temperature was still quite low at minus 12.6 degrees Celsius, and in Kargil, it was minus 15.8 degrees Celsius.