BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has started experiencing a slight nip in the air with mercury levels plummeting in parts of the state on Tuesday.
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature dipped by about 2 degree Celsius to 3 deg C at a few places over north interior districts in the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
The minimum temperature also slipped below normal by about 3 deg C to 4 deg C at one or two places over north interior districts and below normal by about 2 deg C at a few places in interior and coastal districts.
Semiliguda in Koraput was the coldest at 11.6 deg C, followed by Phulbani and Jharsuguda 14.5 deg C each. The temperature in Jharsuguda was below normal by 3.4 deg C, while coastal regions like Cuttack recorded 17.4 deg C (-2.2 deg C) and Bhubaneswar recorded 18.5 deg C (-2.1 deg C).
Director of Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Manorama Mohanty attributed the drop in minimum temperature in parts of Odisha to the northerly winds blowing towards the state. “There will be no large change in minimum night temperature across the state during the next seven days,” she added.
On Tuesday morning, parts of the state also witnessed fog condition. Rourkela witnessed dense fog, while Phulbani recorded shallow fog during the period. While the immediate outlook for night temperatures remains stable, the IMD is also monitoring a developing weather system - a low pressure which is likely to form over southwest Bay of Bengal around Friday. As per the national weather body, the system is expected to move northwestwards and become a well-marked low pressure area during the subsequent 24 hours.