Srinagar, Nov 12 (IANS): The night temperature Tuesday in Srinagar dropped below freezing point for the first time this season.

An official of the weather office here told IANS, the minimum temperature fell to minus 0.7 degree Celsius here Tuesday. This is the lowest recorded temperature in the city so far this season.

"The minimum temperature was minus 4.0 degrees Celsius in Pahalgam, minus 3.4 degrees in Gulmarg, minus 5.7 in Leh, and minus 7.7 degrees Celsius in Kargil town of the Ladakh region.

"The minimum was 10.9 in Jammu city Tuesday. The minimum temperatures are likely to fall further during the next two days because of dry weather," the official added.

"There would be an improvement in the night temperatures after November 15 because we are expecting the western disturbance under whose influence there would be light rain and snowfall in the valley", he said.

Western disturbance is the name given to an extra-tropical storm system in the Mediterranean Sea which results in rain and snowfall in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The prospects of Rabi crop in the region depend largely on the western disturbance while those of a good Kharif crop depend on the monsoon activity in the region.