Odisha braces for intense heatwave, peak expected between March and May

The first day of March seems to mark the beginning of three months of intense heat across Odisha as mercury continues to soar in various regions of the State. As per a forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there will be a gradual rise of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius in temperature in most places of the state starting today.

Temperatures cross 37 degrees Celsius

According to the weather department, the heat is expected to intensify further, with extreme temperatures persisting for the next three months, from March to May. On Friday, temperatures breached the 37 degrees Celsius mark, with Jharsuguda emerging as the hottest place in Odisha.

Similarly, Sambalpur recorded a sweltering 36.4 degrees while the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack hovered close and slightly past the 34 degrees Celsius mark.

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No rainfall in Odisha

Meanwhile, the IMD’s Regional Center at Bhubaneswar stated that dry weather would prevail over most districts and that there was no forecast for rainfall in the next seven days.

The early onset of rising temperatures hints that the duration of the summer heatwave is also likely to increase, and the unusually high temperatures may break previous records. Further, throughout the month, temperatures are expected to remain significantly above normal levels.

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Possibility of a heatwave

Despite cooler mornings, the rising heat has become more unbearable with each passing day, making it difficult to step outside even at 10 am. Further, with minimum temperatures rising across Odisha, conditions have become ripe for an intense heat wave to form, although no official notification has been released by the IMD in this regard.