After rain, cold wave to return Odisha; mercury to dip further in twin cities post-Christmas

Following two days of rainfall, dry weather is likely to prevail and minimum temperature is expected to fall by at least 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over most parts of Odisha, as per a forecast made by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to the  Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, cloudy and overcast skies swept through large parts of the state on Tuesday. Thick haze also prevented sunlight from reaching the ground across the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

The forecast had stated that the return of cold wave-like conditions was expected post-Christmas. A sharp dip in mercury may be witnessed as rainfall activities under the influence of a well-marked low-pressure over the Bay of Bengal will subside by December 26.

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As of now, a yellow warning for heavy rainfall remains in force and will be valid for the next 24 hours for several coastal Odisha districts including Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapara. Additionally, on Christmas, Ganjam and Gajapati will continue to remain under the same yellow warning while light rainfall may occur at isolated places over the other districts.

After the spell of rain, the temperature will by at least 2 to 4 degrees. Minimum temperatures over the state capital may plummet to as low as 13 degrees Celsius while the neighboring Silver City may shiver at 12 degrees Celsius, as of the last forecast.

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Incidentally, a prevailing cold wave had temporarily subsided and a gradual rise in temperature was witnessed across many places in the state from December 21 onwards after a low-pressure over the Bay of Bengal turned into a depression and induced cloudy skies and intermittent rainfall.