BHUBANESWAR: With the unseasonal showers gone, cold wave returned to the State on Thursday. The mercury plunged uncharacteristically across the State during the daytime while the night temperature dipped once again.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced prevalence of cold wave as northern Odisha felt the chill. Both Baripada and Keonjhar recorded the lowest temperature of the day at 6 degree Celsius.
The weather office said moderate cold wave prevailed over some parts of interior Odisha where a thick layer of fog enveloped large parts of Kandhamal district while light showers occurred at one or two places. Minimum temperature fell appreciably across the State. The IMD said the mercury was markedly below normal over interior Odisha and normal over coastal Odisha.
The impact of the cold wave could be felt in the Capital where the maximum day temperature was 21.8 degree Celsius, six degree below normal. The weather office said the day temperature has been dipping in the city. Between a span of seven days - January 6 and 12, the highest day temperature had fallen by a whopping 10 degree C, from 32 degree C to 21.8 degree. Similarly, the night temperature too saw a slide from 22 degree to 13 degree over the period.
However, this pattern held true for other coastal pockets like Balasore where maximum day and minimum night temperature were four degree C below normal. Similar was the case with Gopalpur and Jharsuguda.
The weather office predicted that cold wave conditions may prevail over some parts of the State during the next 48 hours. Besides, the temperature may drop further by two to four degree across central and eastern India, it said hinting at biting cold conditions in the day to come over interior and northern parts of the State.