BHUBANESWAR: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said the cold wave gripping Odisha is unlikely to abate soon. After a marginal rise in temperature for next couple of days, the cold wave would return from January 25. There is no likelihood of the conditions to change till end of the month, the weather office said.
This is for the first time in seven years that the State has been experiencing such conditions. Night temperature has remained three to five degree Celsius below normal over most parts of the State. Phulbani town, district headquarters of Kandhamal, reported 4.5 degree C, lowest in Odisha on Sunday.
As many as 13 stations across the State reported temperature of 10 degree C or below during the day. Districts such as Kandhamal, Boudh, Dhenkanal, Angul, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Koraput have been reeling under the cold wave conditions.
The IMD predicted foggy conditions to prevail from Monday till Wednesday as mercury might report a marginal rise. However, beginning January 25, northerly wind would return and night temperature would fall again. This would bring the cold wave back.
“This year, the conditions have been hard because the spell has been continuing since first week of the month. This is some kind of an aberration,” said Director, IMD, Odisha Sarat Chandra Sahu.
He said, a low frequency of Western Disturbance and northerly wind pattern have kept the weather chilly in the State. Formation of troughlines off Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka have helped the conditions, he added.