Lucknow, Jan 3 (IANS): The cold wave intensified further in most parts of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday with icy 'purva' winds bringing down the mercury. At some places, including the state capital, the sky was overcast, adding to the cold.

Regional Met Director J.P. Gupta said that with a western disturbance likely to reach Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, this would affect the weather in Uttar Pradesh and bring light-to-heavy showers over the next 48-hours to Thursday morning.

It is also predicted that the fog would get denser, leading to trouble for rail, air and vehicular traffic. The minimum temperature recorded here in the state capital was 9 degrees Celsius and the maximum is likely to hover around 18 degrees Celsius.

In the last 24 hours, Agra was the coldest with 7 degrees celsius, followed by Gorakhpur (8.3), Varanasi (9) and Kanpur (10.2).

The schools at many places which were to open on Tuesday have been closed till January 5 and district administrations will take a call thereafter on their opening, depending on the weather, an official told IANS.