Patna:Don't expect any respite from the cold just yet, but some relief could be in store. Weathermen predict it won't get any colder in the city than it already is, at least over the next three or four days.

On Monday, Patna recorded a maximum temperature of 17.8 degrees Celsius with the minimum touching 5.6 degrees, which was much better than several other places in the state which shivered under extremely low temperature levels.

Purnea recorded its coldest day in over 46 years with the minimum temperature dropping to 1.2 degrees Celsius. The east Bihar town had recorded its lowest temperature of 1.3 degrees Celsius on January 31, 1971.

Supaul was also very cold with the mercury plummeting to 2.2 degrees Celsius; Bhagalpur recorded a minimum of 3 degrees Celsius. Muzaffarpur touched a low of 4.7 degrees Celsius.

Weathermen predicted no significant drop in temperatures in the coming days. Sandeep Kumar, meteorologist at the Patna MET office, said the minimum temperature in the city is unlikely to see any significant drop in the next three four days and the maximum too is likely to hover around 18 degrees Celsius. The biting cold which residents are experiencing is because of the wind chill factor. Even a slow wind which was blowing at a speed of 4 to 5 km per hour these days was making people feel like that, he added.

Wind-chill factor in meteorological parlance is defined as the perceived decrease in air temperature felt by the body on exposed skin due to the flow of the air.

The Patna MET office has, however, issued a warning for other parts of the state in general and the north and eastern parts in particular.

The forecast said that widespread cold wave condition was likely to prevail with some areas witnessing severe cold wave conditions in the next two days.

After that, possibility of cold wave at scattered places has been forecast by the local MET office. The day cold is also adding to the biting chill feel. Meteorologist Sandeep Kumar maintained that Patna was not likely to be affected by the cold wave during this period.

Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi has already ordered all government and private schools to keep classes up to Class VII shut till January 10 due to the severe cold weather.

All schools have also been directed to ensure that classes IX to XII are run only from 10.30am onwards.

The mercury plummeted to a minimum of 4.7°C in the city on Friday, the coldest day in around three years.

The coldest day ever in Patna was recorded on January 21, 1984, when the mercury touched 1.4°C.