There's heart-warming news for people in the Indian capital. The mercury is all set to climb up here even as the chill continues in most other parts of northern India, weather officials said Thursday.

"Though this year's winter is far from over, conditions will only improve from here," said an official of the India Meteorological Department.

This would be a welcome development for the homeless who bear the brunt of the winter chill. The national capital alone has over 100,000 homeless.

The official forecast another foggy morning in Delhi Friday and said the minimum temperature in the city would be around 7 degrees Celsius.

The capital Thursday recorded a maximum of 22 degrees Celsius while the minimum was 5.5 degrees, three degrees below normal.

"I hope the winter lasts longer. It is so much better than the scorching summer. In the cold, we just have to wear more clothes. What do we do in summer?" asked Neetal Mithani, a student of Sri Venkateswara College.

Though the capital experienced a slightly warmer day, chilly conditions continued in other parts of northern India.

Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, for example, recorded a minimum temperature of 0.2 degrees Celsius. While tourism has boomed thanks to the snow, it has also brought with it civic problems like power cuts and water shortages because of jammed pipes.

Roads there have been blocked for several days, affecting the supply of goods.

Srinagar too was under a similar spell, with the minimum temperature dipping to 0.1 degree below zero. Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab and Haryana, too had a freezing minimum of 0.7 degrees Celsius.