BHUBANESWAR: Odisha reeled under an intense heat wave as 22 places recorded 40 degrees Celsius-plus temperatures on Wednesday. In at least three stations, the day temperature was above 44 degrees C. Going by the weather office, there is unlikely any relief from the blistering conditions in the next five days though no heat wave advisory is issued.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said there will be no large change in day temperature which might affect normal life. Mercury is likely to hover around 42 degrees C or more in Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Angul, Boudh, Sonepur, Bargarh, Balangir, Kalahandi, Jharsuguda and Nuapada districts during the period, said the national weather forecaster. The IMD cautioned people to take precautionary measures while stepping outside between 11 am and 3 pm as hot and uncomfortable weather is likely to continue throughout this week.
A day after thunderstorm activity provided people with much-needed relief from the sweltering heat, the climate heated up once again on the day. Sonepur and Angul were the hottest at 44.1 degrees C each, followed by Boudh at 44 degrees C. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 38.2 degrees C on the day. The high humidity made the climate unbearable.
In Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the relative humidity stood at 74 per cent and 75 per cent respectively at 5.30 pm. The day temperature in the capital city is expected to hover around 38 degrees on Thursday too, said the regional met office.“Hot and humid conditions are expected to continue due to the flow of warm and dry westerly winds towards the state,” said scientist of Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Umasankar Das.