Jamshedpur, Jan. 22: As the killer chill preyed on its 21st victim, the weathermen today sounded a 48-hour cold wave alert across the state.

Muluk Singh (40), a resident of Mango and driver by profession, collapsed while returning home from work this morning. He was rushed to MGM Medical College and Hospital, where doctors confirmed death due to severe weather conditions. With this the toll reached 21 in the state though unconfirmed reports put the figure at 61.

According to the Patna Meteorological Office, which issued the cold wave alert, the minimum temperature in most parts of the state, including Jamshedpur, Ranchi and Daltonganj, was five degrees below normal today. Cold wave is usually reported when the minimum temperature drops four degrees below normal.

The chill is likely to intensify in the next 48 hours as the Met office predicted an active north-westerly flow.

The local Met office today recorded a minimum temperature of 7.8°C, second lowest of the season. On January 7 and December 28, the steel city had recorded 7.3°C. In January last year, the minimum temperature here had hovered between 12°C and 14°C.

The observatory at Ranchi recorded a minimum temperature of 7.9°C, five degrees below normal. Daltonganj saw the coldest day with the mercury plummeting to a chilly 4.9°C.

The minimum temperature there dropped by three degrees in 24 hours. Similarly, Jamshedpur registered a two-degree drop since yesterday.

The minimum temperature in Dumka, Hazaribagh, Koderma and Seraikela-Kharsawan also went down by four degrees. The minimum temperature in these districts are hovering between 7°C and 9°C.

“The condition is likely to persist for another 48 hours. There may also be a drop in the maximum temperature,” said Animesh Chanda, the director of Patna Met office.

The Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, Calcutta, too, predicted cold wave condition across Jharkhand. The duty officer said the sky would remain clear during the next 24 hours, but Sunday might be cloudy and damp.