Srinagar, Jan 2 : The 40-day long period of harsh winter cold known as 'Chillai Kalan' tightened its grip on Kashmir on Monday as night temperatures dropped further. Water taps in most parts of Srinagar city had frozen in the morning and people were seen lighting small fires around the water pipes to de-freeze them. "Cold, dry weather is expected to continue in J&K during the next 24 hours as the night temperatures dropped further in the Valley on Monday," said an official of the Meteorological (MeT) department. Srinagar had minus 5.4, Pahalgam minus 9.6 and Gulmarg minus 10 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature. In Ladakh region, Kargil had minus 15.5 and Leh minus 15.4 as the minimum temperature. Jammu had 4.2, Katra 5.5, Batote minus 1.5, Banihal minus 2 and Bhaderwah minus 2.4 as the minimum temperature. /IANS