BHUBANESWAR : Somepur in Odisha was the hottest in the country on Thursday as it sizzled at 44.2 degree Celsius. It was followed by Akola in Maharashtra which saw the mercury rising up to 43.6 degree Celsius on the day.
At least 15 other places in Odisha recorded 40 degree Celsius or more on Thursday. Balangir recorded 42.8 degree, Baripada 42.5, Jharsuguda 42.2, Boudh 42, Talcher 41.8, Angul 41.7, Sundargarh and Titilagarh 41.5 degree each, Parlakhemundi 41, Sambalpur 40.8, Nayagarh and Bhawanipatna 40.5 degree each, Balasore, Malkangiri and Chhatrapur 40 degree each on the day. The Twin Cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 37.7 and 38.4 degrees respectively.
“There will be no large change in maximum (day) temperature in Odisha during the next five days. Maximum temperature is expected to be more than 40 degree Celsius and it is likely to remain above normal by 2 degree to 3 degree at many places in interior Odisha during next two days,” said Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Scientist, Umasankar Das.
Meanwhile, the IMD on Monday said that south-west monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall over the country as a whole is most likely to be normal (96 pc to 104 pc). Odisha is likely to receive normal rainfall during this year’s monsoon, said Das.