Jaipur, Dec 19 (IANS): Wet Christmas and New Year appear to be in store for tourists in Rajasthan with the India Meteorological Department on Thursday forecasting rain in parts of the state during the last week of December.

Light to moderate rain with thunder is expected in some areas due to the influence of an active western disturbance officials added.

"On December 25, rain with thunder is likely in southeastern Rajasthan, while between December 26 and 27, similar weather is predicted for parts of Udaipur, Ajmer, Kota, Jaipur, Bharatpur, and Bikaner divisions," the IMD said.

Additionally, meteorologistsforecast a drop in minimum temperatures over the next two days and warned of a cold wave gripping the state for the coming days.

"A slight decrease in minimum temperatures is expected in the next 48 hours, and the ongoing cold wave in certain areas is likely to persist for the next 3-4 days," officials said.

The highest maximum temperature in the state on Thursday was recorded at 28.6°C in Pali, while the lowest minimum temperature on Friday was 2.2°C in Fatehpur.

Overall, the weather in the state remained mostly dry, with cold wave conditions reported in some regions. Many districts recorded minimum temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius.

Minimum temperatures in some of the towns include 8.6 degrees Celsius in Ajmer, 7.2 degrees Celsius in Vanasthali, 5 degrees Celsius in Alwar, 9 degrees Celsius in Jaipur, 7.3 degrees Celsius in Pilani, 7.3 degrees Celsius in Sikar, 8 degrees Celsius in Kota, 7.7 degrees Celsius in Chittorgarh and 5 degrees Celsius in Nagaur.