Srinagar, Dec. 19 -- Kashmir once again experienced relief from intense cold as night temperatures rose and settled above the freezing point, with rain and snow expected to coincide with the oncoming "Chillai-Kalan", the 40-day harshest winter period, officials said on Thursday.

The mercury in most places in the valley settled above the freezing point, with Srinagar recording a low of 0.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night, an improvement from the previous night's minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, they said.

Night temperatures were 2.2 notches above normal for this time of the season. The minimum temperature across the valley hovered between 1.7 to 6.6 degrees Celsius, they said.

A thick layer of fog engulfed Srinagar and most other parts of ...