Lucknow, Jan 17 (IANS): The weather is not likely to clear nor would the cold wave abate in the state, the weatherman predicted Saturday adding that the coming few days might be in fact harsher.

The Regional Met Office said that while the mercury would continue to dip, as has been the case over the week, moderate to heavy rains might occur in some parts of the state in the next few days.

Fog which had crippled the air, road and rail transport in the past few days, however receded in the state capital Saturday. The visibility also improved. Foggy conditions, however, continued in the eastern and western parts of the state.

Railway officials said more than two dozen trains including the Neelanchal Express, Shatabdi Express, Kota-Patna Express, Chandigarh and Shahid Express continued to run behind schedule and the situation was unlikely to improve unless the dense fog dissipated.

The weatherman also predicted more snowfall in the neighbouring hill state of Uttarakhand, which would add to the winter chill. State Met director J.P. Gupta said that north-westerly winds blowing from the snow-capped hills would intensify from Saturday.

Heavy to moderate rains have been predicted between January 20-22 owing to strong western disturbances - a phenomenon which had ushered in rains earlier this month as well - and the weather would only settle down after Jan 26, the Met Office said.

Owing to fog and poor visibility on the outskirts of the city, landing of aircrafts at the Amausi airport in the city Friday was only made possible after 12 p.m., an airport official informed, suggesting that the situation would be "more or less the same" over the next week.

Inclement weather has already led schools till standard VIII to extend their period of closure and changes in schedule for classes IX-XII. District officials conceded that for the first time in many years, the weather has played truant in such a fashion.

Schools in the state capital have been closed since Dec 23 last year and would now re-open Jan 23.