BHUBANESWAR: There will be no let-up in the brutal weather as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heatwave conditions in parts of Odisha till Saturday. The mercury level is expected to fall from Sunday onwards under the influence of rainfall and thundershower activity.
On Wednesday, 30 places in the state recorded 40 degree C or more. While Talcher was the hottest at 43.2 degree C, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 41.7 degrees C and 41.5 degrees C, respectively. Two places - Koraput (37.4 degree Celsius) and Daringbadi (34 degrees C) witnessed heatwave conditions.
The twin city residents woke up to uncomfortable weather as the humidity level was 73 per cent in Bhubaneswar and 67 per cent in Cuttack at 8.30 am on the day. IMD has issued a heatwave warning for Cuttack, Khurda and 19 other districts on Thursday.
Weather is expected to turn harsher as maximum temperature is likely to rise by 2 degrees C to 3 degree C in many places in the state within two days. The capital city may experience heatwave condition on Thursday as the mercury level is expected to be around 42 degrees C.
Even as the state continues to remain under the grip of scorching weather, it has already recorded more than normal heatwave days in April.
Usually, Odisha experiences one to three heatwave days in April but this time the state has already recorded five heatwave days in the last 17 days.
In the first spell, heatwave occurred in parts of the state on April 5 and 6. The fresh bout of heatwave started on Monday (April 15) and is expected to continue till Saturday.
Weather experts said Odisha normally experiences about 11 heatwave days between April and June. However, this year the state may record 17 to 25 heatwave days in these three months.
“Just like last year, the heatwave condition is expected to subside after April 20 under influence of rainfall and thundershower activity,” said Umasankar Das, scientist at Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre.
Schools closed for three days
The state government on Wednesday announced closure of all schools in the state from April 18 to 20 due to heatwave forecast by the IMD. In a release, the School and Mass Education Department said the government has decided to shut all schools including those run by the government, government-aided and private for three days in view of prevailing heatwave conditions and rise in day temperature.
As per IMD’s forecast, the temperature is expected to cross the 45 degrees Celsius mark in a few places in Odisha from April 18 to 20. Meanwhile, some private schools have decided to resort to online classes if the heatwave continues after April 20.