New Delhi, December 27: North India continued to be in the spell of intense cold on Friday, with Delhi witnessing the second-coldest December since 1901. On Friday, the minimum temperature in the national capital was recorded at 4.2 degrees Celsius and maximum temperature of 13.4 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal. Apart from the national capital, biting cold wave persisted in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan on Thursday as the mercury continued to dip. Winter 2019: Fog Disrupts Train Services, 21 Delhi-Bound Trains Delayed Due to Low Visibility.

In its weather bulletin, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), stated that the temperatures in North Indian states are predicted to drop further in the coming days and will continue to be under the spell of the cold waves until January 3. The IMD has issued an orange alert from 26-29 December 2019 for Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The orange alert stands for 'Be ready' signal, which means people have to be alert as the situation may worsen even more. Cold Waves Grip North India as Mercury Dips Following Snowfall in The Hill States, See Pics.

During the orange alert cold day to severe cold day conditions with dense fog  are very likely in many states in North India. The IMD said that the cold waves are likely to continue in North India as a fresh Western Disturbance is very likely to affect Western Himalayan region from December 30 night onwards.

The MeT department stated that a severe cold day with moderate fog is predicted on Friday while the mercury is predicted to drop to 4 degrees Celsius in the weekend. In Rajasthan, Fatehpur town in Sikar district recorded season’s lowest night temperature at minus 3 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, the Drass belt of Kargil district was the coldest place in recording a minimum temperature of minus 30.2 degrees Celsius.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2019 10:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).