Srinagar, Dec 16 (IANS): At minus 4.8 degrees Celsius, Srinagar on Wednesday recorded season's lowest temperatures so far, as Drass town in Ladakh remained frozen at minus 18.6 degrees.

"The weather is expected to remain dry with clear night sky. Minimum temperatures are likely to drop further in the coming three to four days making the present cold wave more intense," an official of the MET department said.

Pahalgam recorded minus 7.4 while Gulmarg was at minus 11 -- the coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir.

Leh and Kargil towns of Ladakh recorded minus 14.6 and minus 14.4 degrees Celsius.

Jammu city recorded 5 degrees Celsius, Katra 3.2, Batote minus 1.3, Bannihal minus 3.0 and Bhaderwah minus 2.8 as the minimum temperatures.

The minimum temperatures have started dropping much below the freezing point this year much ahead of the 40-day long period of harsh winter of 'Chillai Kalan'.

Minimum temperatures usually drop below the freezing point during the Chillai Kalan that starts around December 22, when heavy snowfall replenishes the perennial water reservoirs of the union territories.

The flow in rivers, streams, springs and lakes in summer depends on how richly the perennial water reservoirs, up in the mountains, get replenished during the Chillai Kalan.

A bountiful Chillai Kalan is the harbinger of well irrigated bumper crop for the farmers in the valley.