All government, private and public schools in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh will remain closed until January 22 due to a severe cold wave, an official announcement said yesterday.
Students face a tough time in the morning chill. This may pose a health hazard, Ghaziabad district magistrate Vimal Kumar Sharma said. 
Most parts of the state continued to shiver with icy winds blowing.
Mercury in the past 24-hours recorded a major fall in Lucknow with the night temperature hovering around 2.4 degrees Celsius, a drop of over six degrees.
After Lucknow, the coldest place in the state was Meerut where the night temperature was 2.8 degrees.
Meanwhile New Delhi remained chilly yesterday as cold winds brought the maximum temperature down to 15.7 degrees Celsius.
Northern Railway said 51 trains were cancelled in the morning due to dense fog. 
“Five trains were rescheduled and 17 delayed as the visibility at 8.30pm was no more than 300m,” a railway official said.
Air traffic, however, was not affected. Commuters, particularly those riding two-wheelers, fortified themselves with sweaters and jackets to combat the chill. 
Also the Kashmir Valley continued to be several degrees below the freezing point, the weather office said.
However, the minimum temperatures improved in the Jammu region. “The minimum temperature in Jammu was 6.2 degrees and the maximum is likely to hover around 18 to 19 degrees,” the weather office said.