New Delhi, Dec 31 (IANS): A day before New Year, the capital experienced the season's coldest day Monday as the minimum temperature settled two notches below average at 5.2 degrees Celsius. Dec 23, when the mercury dipped to 5.9 degrees Celsius, was the coldest day of the season so far.

As 2012 draws to a close, a clear but very chilly New Year is expected in Delhi Tuesday. "The New Year Eve will be equally cold, but the fog cover will be shallow," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

Although the weather was chilly with a shallow fog enveloping the city early Monday, it turned sunny as the day progressed.

The Met Office has forecast that the minimum temperature is likely to be around six degrees Celsius Tuesday. "Icy winds will continue to make Delhiites shiver," the IMD official said.

The maximum temperature Monday is likely to touch around 16-17 degrees Celsius, four-five notches below the season's average.

"This December, the foggy weather conditions have been mostly normal. Dense fog was recorded on Dec 23, 25 and 31," the IMD official said.

According to Northern Railway, the thick fog cover in north India has thrown train schedules out of gear.

"Twenty-four trains are running behind schedule and 13 have been cancelled. The train services were severely hit today (Monday) owing to the dense fog in many parts of north India," a Northern Railway statement said.

However, flights in the national capital have not been affected so much by fog this year - thanks to the CAT-III system set up on the Delhi airport runways to help aircrafts operate even in low visibility conditions.

Sunday's maximum temperature settled four notches below average at 17 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was 7.7 degrees Celsius, which is average for this time of the year.