BHUBANESWAR: Summer in India this year is already excruciating, with several states across the country, including Odisha bearing its brunt. In fact, many Indian cities currently figure in the list of the world’s hottest cities.
Earlier this week on April 22, Jharsuguda was the hottest in the country at 44.6 degree Celsius. As per the current temperatures, a major part of the country is in the grip of heatwave and some regions have been recording mercury-level in the range of 44 deg C to 45 deg C.
However, some respite is in the offing as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast strong nor’wester rain activity this week. The shift in the weather pattern is expected to bring a much-needed relief to the citizens.
IMD officials said the nor’wester rain activity is expected to be at its peak between Tuesday and Thursday. They attributed the anticipated thundershowers to a surge in the flow of southerly winds carrying moisture from the Bay of Bengal.
The regional met office said there will be no large change in maximum day temperature during next two days and then the mercury level is likely to fall by 2 deg C to 4 deg C over the state.
It has forecast thunderstorm, lightning and gusty surface winds in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Sundargarh, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Koraput districts on Tuesday.
Similar weather condition is expected to prevail in Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and 15 other districts a day later on Wednesday. Some places may experience wind speeds reaching 40 kmph to 50 kmph between Tuesday and Friday.
Nor’wester rains (Kalabaisakhi) are sudden and violent thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain, hail and high-velocity winds that sweep across the state, usually between March and May. Triggered by troughs and moisture from Bay of Bengal, these storms bring drastic temperature drops, reducing heatwave conditions, but often cause severe disruption such as uprooting of trees, power outages and damage to residential properties.
On Sunday, Jharsuguda recorded 44.8 deg C, just a few notches below the heatwave criteria. Parts of Odisha reeled under scorching heat on the day, with mercury peaking between 40 deg C and 44 deg C in about 17 places.