Srinagar, Jan 17 (IANS) 

Minimum temperatures throughout the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh region remained several notches below freezing point Friday as cold conditions prevailed unabated in the area.

The Met office said the dry weather is likely to continue for the next 24 hours till Saturday morning which would push the night temperatures further down because of the clear night skies.

"The minimum temperature was minus 2.4 degrees Celsius in Srinagar, minus 8.8 degrees Celsius in Pahalgam, and minus 7.2 degrees celsius in Gulmarg Friday, a Met official told IANS.

"In Leh town (of Ladakh region), the minimum temperature was minus 11.1 degrees Celsius while in Kargil town (of the same region), it was minus 16.2 degrees Celsius today (Friday). The minimum temperature was 7.3 degrees Celsius in Jammu city," the official added.

The biting cold has caused partial freezing of major lakes and other water bodies in the Valley while most lakes and rivers in the Ladakh region are already frozen.

Thousands of migratory birds present in the Valley to avoid the extreme cold of their summer homes in Siberia, the Philippines, Japan and China are finding it difficult to feed in the frozen bird reserves.

By:IANS