Srinagar, Dec 28 (IANS): Leh town in Jammu and Kashmir Sunday recorded its coldest overnight temperature at minus 17 degrees Celsius as the Kashmir Valley remained in the grip of an intense cold wave.

"This is the lowest recorded (in Leh) so far this season," a Met department official told IANS.

The situation was no different elsewhere in the valley. Srinagar, the winter capital, recorded -4.7 degrees Celsius. Jammu, the summer capital, recorded 3.8 degrees.

Kargil town was the second coldest place in the state with -15.2 degrees Celsius followed by Pahalgam (-7.6). Gulmarg recorded -3.7 degrees.

Most water taps and water bodies in and around Srinagar were frozen in the morning. People could be seen burning small fires around water taps to de-freeze them.

Highly slippery road conditions prevented motorists from taking to the roads in the morning.

The weather office said dry, cold conditions would continue the next 24 hours bringing down the night temperatures further.