The meteorological centre in Srinagar said the mercury in the city settled some 4.2 degrees below normal on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday

Weather experts attribute the intense cold wave in Kashmir to the La Niña effect, which leads to harsher winters and increased precipitation. During the phenomenon, the surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean cool, disrupting atmospheric circulation patterns and resulting in extreme weather conditions worldwide.

As mercury dropped to minus 6.2 degrees Celsius on Friday, Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar city recorded the season's lowest minimum temperature.

Kalan, considered Kashmir's harshest winter period, Kashmir experienced its coldest night of the season, with Srinagar recording a minimum temperature of minus 6.2 degrees Celsius.

Chillai Kalan is the 40-day harshest period of winter that begins from tomorrow, December 21 and ends on January 31. Check latest updates on Jammu and Kashmir weather.

Kashmir Valley and Ladakh region have been continuously reeling under excruciating cold waves and the temperatures across the division are recorded below freezing point. South Kashmir remains one of the coldest areas in the Kashmir division.