Severe chilly spell continues in Odisha, mercury slides below 5 degree in Kandhamal

G Udaygiri in Kandhamal was the coldest place in Odisha on Friday morning as it recorded a minimum temperature of 4.6 degree Celsius.

With no respite from the cold wave, at least 16 places in Odisha registered sub-10 degree temperature. Those places are: Semiliguda (5.6), Phulbani (6), Kirei (7.1), Koraput (7.7), Keonjhar (7.8), Daringibadi (8), Angul (8.6), Bhawanipatna (8.6), Rourkela (8.7), Sundargarh (9), Nabarangpur (9), Sonepur (9.3), Jharsuguda (9.4), Ranital (9.4) and Chipilima (9.8).

Odisha capital Bhubaneswar recorded a minimum temperature of 12.4 degrees on Friday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted dense fog in some districts on Friday and Saturday. A fog Yellow Warning has also been issued to the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal and Kalahandi.

A local in Daspalla, Nayagarh said, “Temperature has dropped significantly in the last few days. We are lighting camp fires beside the road to keep ourselves warm.”

“Temperature in Phulbani and Daringibadi is gradually reducing. Even visibility due to fog, has dropped significantly. Even during noon, the visibility remains less than 100 metres,” said weatherman of Phulbani, Jitendra Swain.

However, a slight rise in temperature is expected from tomorrow onwards. As per the IMD, the temperature is likely to rise by 2-3 degree Celsius in subsequent 2 to 3 days over the districts of Odisha.