The officials have warned that such conditions will continue for the next 48 hours. Patna and Bhagalpur recorded the minimum temperatures of 1.1 degrees Celsius late Tuesday night while in Purnea it was 2.5 degrees Celsius.

"Bihar continued to shiver in icy winds and biting cold and normal life was badly affected," an official of the state disaster management department said.

The bone-chilling north-westerly winds continued blowing across the state and people are unlikely to get any respite from it for at least 48 hours, A.K. Sen of India Meteorological Department said here.

In view of the prevailing cold wave, all public and private schools have been closed in Patna till Jan 10, Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh said.

A dense fog enveloped the state, disrupting air and rail services for last several days.

The Bihar government is yet to confirm any death due to the cold wave but unconfirmed reports from various districts put the toll at over 50 in the last 72 hours.