LUCKNOW, Jan. 5 -- Kanpur and Etawah logged their coldest nights of the season with the mercury reaching 3.2degC and 3.8degC, respectively as minimum temperatures in many districts of Uttar Pradesh dropped sharply during the early hours of Sunday, according to data from the Lucknow meteorological centre. Barabanki shivered at 4.5 degC in the early hours of Sunday while Lucknow logged 6degC, which remained the coldest night of the season in the state capital so far. Earlier, on January 1, the state capital saw its lowest minimum temperature at 7degC. Overall, temperatures in the central parts of the state have fallen to between 3 and 6degC, and a further slight drop is expected in other parts of the state over the next 24 to 48 hours following which there will be some relief from prevailing cold conditions, according to the weatherman. In Kanpur, the minimum temperature plunged from 10.6degC on January 3 to 3.2degC on Sunday, a drop of 7.4 degrees within 24 hours. Etawah saw a similar decline, from 7.4degC to 3.8degC. Lucknow's minimum fell by 5.4 degrees in a day from 11.4degC, causing discomfort for children and elderly residents, particularly those with orthopaedic and cardiac ailments. "This drop in temperature was most pronounced in the central part of the state due to increased radiative cooling caused by the dissipation of a lifted layer of fog yesterday afternoon." the weatherman said. The maximum temperature in Lucknow, however, remained unchanged at 16.9degC for both days (Saturday and Sunday). The IMD's forecast for Monday in Lucknow predicts moderate fog during late night/morning hours and mainly clear sky later. The day and night temperature will be around 17degC and 8degC Celsius respectively. At Barabanki too, mercury fell from 8.4degC on Saturday to 4.5degC on Sunday, a drop of 3.9degC. The district recorded its coldest night in two years, the weatherman said. "A significant drop of 3 to 6degC in minimum temperatures over the past 24 hours has led to a marked increase in cold conditions across the state," said Atul Kumar Singh, senior scientist at Lucknow met office. Singh explained, "Following passage of an active western disturbance affecting western India, cold and dry northwesterly/westerly winds from the snow-covered mountainous regions have caused a significant drop of 3 to 6degC in minimum temperatures overnight." "A further slight drop is expected in other parts of the state over the next 24-48 hours. After this, the decline is expected to cease, and a gradual increase in temperatures is likely due to the influence of the next Western Disturbance." Muzaffarnagar recorded the lowest day temperature in the state at 12.8degC, while Azamgarh and Fatehgarh logged 14.8degC. Orange alert issued for fog The Met department has predicted an orange alert of dense to very dense fog in Deoria, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Basti, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Gonda, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich and surrounding areas for Monday. Dense fog is likely in these areas: Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Hardoi, Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur and surrounding areas. Cold wave conditions are expected to persist at isolated locations until the weekend. The IMD forecast for Monday in Lucknow predicts moderate fog during late night and morning hours, clear skies later, and temperatures around 17degC (day) and 8degC (night)....