BHUBANESWAR: Severe heatwave conditions continued to prevail in Odisha today with Titlagarh recording the maximum temperature of 46 degrees Celsius, forcing the state government to advance summer vacation in schools.
Titlagarh had recorded 48.5 deg C yesterday. The western Odisha town still remained the hottest place in the country, the MeT office said.
"Though there has been a fall in maximum temperature by one or two degrees in almost all places, still the condition is difficult for people. Keeping in view the IMD prediction that the situation will continue at least for one week, the state government has advanced the summer vacation for schools," said Special Relief Commissioner P K Mohapatra.
The summer vacation in schools would now begin from April 26 instead of May 1.
Titlagarh was followed by other western Odisha towns, which bore the burnt of intense heatwave as many places recorded high temperature of above 44 deg C.
While Bhawanipatna recorded 45.7 deg C, Bolangir was at 45.5 deg C, Sambalpur 44.6 deg C, Talcher (44.5), Hirakud (43.7), Sundergarh (43.5) and Malkangiri (43.4).
Bhubaneswar had a maximum of 39.2 deg C today with relative humidity at 91 per cent.
Stating that there was no large change in temperatures across Odisha, the IMD in a bulletin said they were appreciably above normal over interior Odisha, above normal over north coastal Odisha and normal over south coastal Odisha.
"Heatwave condition is likely to prevail at a few places over interior Odisha with severe heatwave condition at one or two places over south interior Odisha during the next 24 hours," the IMD bulletin said.
Quoting the latest doppler weather radar and satellite imageries, the IMD said the module indicate occurrence of thunder squall accompanied with hail and gusty surface winds reaching 60 kmph speed at one or two places over the districts of Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Jajpur today.
Meanwhile, a report from the SRC's office said though the number of alleged sunstroke death cases increased to 99, the confirmed cases continued to remain at four.
While three persons died of heat related incidents in Angul district, one person succumbed to sunstroke in Bolangir district, the SRC officials said.