Patiala, Jan. 8 -- With biting chill gripping Punjab, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange an alert for cold wave and dense to very dense fog across large parts of the state for the next two days.

An orange alert is the second-highest warning in IMD's four-colour system, advising residents to be prepared.

As per IMD, a "dense fog" day is declared when visibility drops between 50 and 200 metres. Visibility below 50 metres is classified as "very dense fog", while readings between 200 and 500 metres fall under "moderate fog".

The persistent fog cover, which blocks the sun, is leading to a noticeable drop in mercury, with Fazilka recording the lowest day temperature of 10degC on Wednesday.

Cities such as Amritsar...