Just when the bone-numbing chill seemed to have become the order of the day, the weather god is again up to tricks.

Weathermen on Sunday forecast a rainy and cloudy Christmas and higher night readings, thanks to a passing Western Disturbance in northern India.

The IMD’s Ranchi Met centre said the night readings would see a rise of at least two to three degrees Celsius in the next 72 hours.

“Night temperatures will rise by 2-3°C during the next 72 hours,” said Abhishek Anand, an IMD scientist at the Ranchi Met centre. He added shallow to moderate fog would prevail at one or two places over Jharkhand in the mornings in the next 48 hours.

In its Sunday forecast, weathermen indicated generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rain or thundershowers likely at few places over Jharkhand on Christmas due to the impact of the passing Western Disturbance and an associated cyclonic circulation.

The Met centre also issued a forecast of light to moderate rain or thundershowers in the districts of southern, northern, eastern and central Jharkhand on December 26.

Ranchi on Sunday recorded a minimum temperature of 11.2°C, two notches above normal. The Met office forecast fog and mist in Ranchi for the next two days and minimum readings of around 12-14°C. On Saturday, Ranchi recorded a minimum temperature of 8.2°C.

Jamshedpur on Sunday recorded a minimum temperature of 11.6°C, normal temperature this time of the year. The minimum reading in the steel city is likely to climb to 14°C in the next 48 hours due to the Western Disturbance. On Saturday, Jamshedpur recorded a minimum of 10.5°C.

Daltonganj on Sunday clocked a minimum of 11.2°C, two notches above normal. Here, too, the minimum is likely to see a rise in the next two days. On Saturday, Daltonganj had shivered at 8.9 °C. Bokaro, Dhanbad, Deoghar, Koderma, Gumla, Simdega, Dumka and most parts of Santhal Pargana also saw higher night readings on Sunday.