As Hyderabad readies itself for Christmas and New Year, it also seems to be bracing itself for the cold, as the minimum temperature in the city dropped to 10.9 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

The IMD reported that the minimum temperature that the city witnessed was 4 degrees Celsius below average and is likely to be 3 to 5 degree Celsius below average at isolated places across Telangana during the next two nights.

This month would likely to be one of the chilliest Decembers in the last decade, Y K Reddy , director (in-charge), IMD Hyderabad told Times of India.

On Friday the temperature is expected to be 11 degree celsius.

The month started with moderate temperature across the state, with the average temperature recorded at 18 degree celsius.

However, as an after effect of Cyclone Vardah, the city witnessed cloudy mornings during mid-December, forcing people to stay mostly indoors.

While the minimum temperature in the city had been fluctuating between 21 degree celsius and 12.1 degree celsius, once the cyclone dissipated, people began to feel the cold.

Dry weather is likely to prevail over the state, the IMD reported.

This year also witnessed the coldest November in two years on November 7, after minimum temperature plunged to 14.7 degrees Celsius in city. Before that, on November 7, 2013, the temperature had dropped to 13.7 degrees Celsius.