Bhopal, Jan 27 (PTI) Parts of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday remained under the grip of a severe cold wave as northerly winds blew into the state, a senior official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said here.The lowest minimum temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in Raisen district.Severe cold conditions are likely across 19 districts in the next two days, senior meteorologist P K Saha told PTI.The IMD has issued orange alerts about severe cold waves or cold waves for the districts of Bhopal, Jabalpur, Rewa, Umaria, Chhindwara, Balaghat, Seoni, Chhattarpur, Sagar, Hoshangabad, Betul, Raisen, Sehore, Dhar, Khandwa, Khargone, Ratlam, Ujjain and Guna.Besides, yellow alerts of severe cold and cold days have been issued for the next two days."Very likely severe cold day" has been forecast at isolated places in 14 districts -- Indore, Alirajpur, Barwani, Burhanpur, Dhar, Jhabua, Khandwa, Khargone, Ujjain, Datia, Tikamgarh, Betul, Damoh and Balaghat. "Likely cold days" are forecast at isolated places in the divisions of Bhopal, Rewa, Shahdol and Chambal and in the districts of Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Mandla, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Niwari, Panna, Ratlam, Shajapur, Guna, Shivpuri and Ashok Nagar, Saha said.Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Raisen, Dhar, Mandla, Tikamgarh, Damoh, Satna, Sidhi, Betul and Malajkhand in Balaghat experienced a “severe cold day” on Thursday, the senior meteorologist said.Jabalpur, Gwalior, Khandwa, Khargone, Chhindwara, Umaria, Ratlam, Shajapur and the tourist hotspot Khajuraho in Chhatarpur district saw a “cold day”. The maximum and minimum temperatures in Bhopal were 19.8 degrees Celsius, seven degrees below normal and 5.3 degrees Celsius, six degrees below normal, respectively.The maximum and minimum temperatures of Indore were 19.4 (9 degrees below normal) and 6.8 (4 degrees below normal), Saha said.Maximum and minimum temperatures of Jabalpur were 19.7 (-5) and 6.5 (-5).As per the IMD, a “cold day” is one when the minimum temperature drops to 10 degrees Celsius or below and the normal maximum temperature dips by at least 4.5 degrees.A “severe cold” day is when the normal maximum temperature drops by at least 6.5 degrees Celsius. Chilly winds are blowing into the state from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir which are experiencing snowfall, Saha said.Light to moderate fog is likely to envelop eight districts including Gwalior and Tikamgarh for the next two days.The cold is likely to prevail in Madhya Pradesh for two to three more days, the IMD official said. PTI LAL KRK KRK