No respite from heat wave in Odisha, temperature crosses 42 degrees Celsius before noon

A day after temperatures crossed 45 degrees Celsius in Odisha for the first time this year, the prevailing heat wave intensified further as mercury levels surpassed 42 degrees Celsius before noon.

According to data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Jharsuguda recorded a blistering 42.6 degrees Celsius at 11:30 am today. Similarly, Hirakud (40), Sambalpur (39.6), Rourkela (39), Keonjhar (36.8), and Chandbali reached 36.4 degrees Celsius at the same time of the day, marking another day of relentless heat.

Orange warning:

The IMD issued orange warnings for isolated heat waves for Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Boudh, and Bolangir. It also warned of a severe isolated heat wave for Jharusguda.

Yellow warning:

Following a similar pattern by 11:30 am today, Bhubaneswar recorded 35.4 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the regional centre of the IMD here warned that hot and humid conditions would prevail in the state capital, adjoining Cuttack, along with the coastal districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Khordha, Puri, Nayagarh, Ganjam, and Gajapati. A yellow warning was also released for the above districts.

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No respite in sight:

Additional yellow alerts were issued for Bargarh, Sonepur, Nuapada, and Kalahandi. The forecast also mentioned that similar conditions are likely to prevail for the next four to five days, offering citizens no respite from the heat.

Extreme temperatures on Monday:

On Monday, Jharsuguda emerged as the hottest place in the state, recording an overall maximum temperature of 45.4 degrees Celsius. Further, major cities surrounding it in interior Odisha raged with high maximum temperatures, including Rourkela (42), Sundargarh, Titlagarh and Sambalpur (43), Boudh (43.2), Bhawanipatna (42.5), and Angul (41.7).