New Delhi, Jan 18(IANS): Chilly weather has the entire northern India in its grip with parts of Rajasthan witnessing temperatures as low as 1.4 degree Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said. However, the cold is likely to ease from Monday, it said.

The Met Department said that dense fog engulfed parts of Rajasthan as the night temperatures dipped by a few notches. Jaipur recorded a minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, while Pilani was the state's coldest place at 1.4 degrees Celsius followed by Churu which shivered at 1.9 degrees, it added.

At the same time, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana witnessed dense fog through the day. However, the Weather Department said this is likely to rise over the next two days due to a change in the wind direction.

In UP, Lucknow recorded a minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, Varanasi 10.4, Prayagraj 11.1 degrees and Gorakhpur 12.3 degrees Celsius. Sonbhadra district was the coldest place in the state with a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

Meanwhile, the IMD's Safdarjung observatory recorded the temperature of the national capital dipping as low as 5.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning.

As per the Met Department, cold weather conditions have swept across the northern, north-central and northeastern belt as cities face the brunt of a "cold wave".

However, an official said the easterly winds blowing in the national capital are not as cold as northwesterly winds coming in from the snow-clad western Himalayas. As a result, the minimum temperature is likely to rise by a few notches over the next two days. It is expected to rise to 8 degrees Celsius on Monday, the Met Department said.