NEW DELHI, Jan 15: Even as the minimum temperature dipped to 2 deg C in Delhi on Thursday, and the Capital region was enveloped in "dense" fog with visibility dropping to 100 metres, the Met office said the cold wave will continue for a minimum of five more days.

Air pollution too shot up in the Capital, the AQI rising up to 429 from 354 on Wednesday. On January 1 the AQI was 441. AQI upwards of 401 is considered "severe."

The minimum temperature at the Safdarjung observatory was 2 deg C. The maximum was 19.2 deg C, a degree below normal.

The weather office said the cold wave has been caused by icy winds from the Himalayan range affecting large parts of India's north and north-west.

The coldest day of the season was on January 1 when the mercury plummeted to 1.1 deg C, lowest in 14 years.

A low wind speed and the moisture content are delaying the dispersal of pollutants. The AQI will deteriorate in the coming days.