Agra, Jan 18 (IANS): With the minimum temperature hovering around 4 degrees Celsius for the last couple of days, a chill breeze in this Taj city in Uttar Pradesh forced tourists to spend more time in hotel rooms than out to view Mughal monuments.

"The tourists visiting Taj Mahal in the morning were exasperated as the chilly breeze from the river forced them to wrap themselves in woollens and shorten the duration of their stay. Many elderly people wanted to rush back," tourist guide Ved Gautam told IANS on Wednesday.

Due to bright sunshine on Tuesday afternoon, it was a pleasant outing for the tourists but the number of tourists in the morning sessions has seen a dip.

Meanwhile, district authorities ordered schools to remain closed for another two days.

District magistrate Gaurav Dayal said schools in Agra will remain closed till January 19. School managements had been warned to follow the directive or face administrative action, he added.

The weather office in Lucknow expects conditions to improve before the Republic day.