The Shimla weather station on Wednesday issued a yellow alert for cold wave, frost and dense fog at isolated places in five of the 12 districts of Himachal Pradesh including Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra and Mandi.
The Ministry has also issued a yellow warning in these regions on Thursday as it is expected to be very foggy on Friday.
Meanwhile, Una district experienced a bitter cold wave on Tuesday night, with the minimum temperature hovering around the freezing point at 1.2 degrees Celsius, while Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti districts recorded the coldest night temperature, dropping to 13.6 degrees Celsius.
Cold wave was observed in Hamirpur, Mandi and Kangra districts, dense fog was seen in Bilaspur and Mandi, and shallow fog was seen in Kangra.
There was no significant change in the day’s maximum temperature and Una was the hottest during the day on Wednesday recording a high of 23 degrees Celsius.
A fresh Western Disturbance is expected to affect Northwest India from January 11 onwards and the Met office has predicted rain and snow at several places on Saturday and Sunday.
The weather will remain dry till Friday, except isolated places in the tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti, and Kinnaur, where there is a possibility of snowfall.
Officials also added that there is a possibility of snow in the higher hills on Saturday and Sunday.
The Met also advises people in colder regions to wear warm, lightweight clothing, stay hydrated, maintain ventilation when using heating equipment, protect livestock and crops from the cold and provide winter packing in beehives.
Rainfall deficit in the winter season from January 1 to 8 was 87 percent, while the state received only 2 mm of rain against a normal rainfall of 15 mm.
Himachal Pradesh experienced 18 percent rainfall deficit during the monsoon and 40 percent deficit during the post-monsoon season.