Kashmir division, including Ladakh region, experienced the coldest night of the season in the state as the cold wave sweeping the Valley tightened its grip.

The night temperature dropped across Kashmir Valley and Ladakh region, at some places by several degrees, with many weather monitoring stations marking the season’s lowest temperature.

Himachal Pradesh, too, experienced biting cold conditions as the temperature dropped further and stayed 2-3 degrees below the normal at most places in the hill state.

The Met office in Shimla said the temperature was likely to remain 2-3 degrees below the normal over the next few days.

As the two states remained under the grip of cold, the temperature during daytime in Delhi showed improvement.

In Haryana, the state government has announced that all schools will remain shut for winter holidays until January 14. And in Punjab, the severe cold sweeping the state further intensified with the minimum temperature hovering between 2 degrees C and 5 degrees C at most places.

In eastern India, cold conditions intensified in West Bengal as icy winds walloped most areas. The MeT office in Kolkata has forecast similar conditions over the next a few days.