BHUBANESWAR: As the cold wave continued, Semiliguda recorded 2 degrees Celsius, this season's lowest minimum temperature in Odisha, on Sunday morning. The India Meteorological Department said the chilly weather conditions will continue across the state. On the day, Kirei in Sundargarh district recorded 4.4 degrees Celsius and Phulbani recorded 5 degrees.
Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 10.5 degrees Celsius and 11.5 degrees respectively. The minimum temperature was below normal by 4.7 degrees in Bhubaneswar and by 2.5 degrees in Cuttack.
Isolated places in Angul and Jharsuguda districts also witnessed cold wave conditions between Saturday and Sunday morning. About 32 places in the state recorded less than 15 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning.
The cold weather condition is expected to continue in Bhubaneswar as the regional Met office has forecast that the capital city's minimum temperature will be around 10 degrees on Monday morning. The capital city's all-time lowest minimum temperature in January was 8.6 degrees in 1992.
Similarly, the minimum temperature is likely to remain below normal by 3 degrees to 5 degrees at many places in the state during the next 24 hours. The national weather forecaster has issued a cold wave warning for one or two places in Jharsuguda, Deogarh and Angul districts between Monday and Tuesday morning.
The Special Relief Commissioner's (SRC) office has directed the district collectors to keep schools, community and other buildings ready to provide shelter to homeless people during night. "The chilly weather condition will prevail in some parts of Odisha as dry and cold northwesterly/northerly winds are penetrating into the state at lower levels," said Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Scientist Umasankar Das.