Bhubaneswar: As the monsoon onset in Odisha was delayed, June 2019 turned hotter in Odisha vis-a-vis June 2018.
There seems no respite from the very hot and humid climate for at least a week for the people in Odisha. Weather models indicate no rain in sight in majority of locations in the State till June 18. Pre-monsoon rains accompanied with thunderstorms will criss-cross the State only from next Tuesday onwards.
As per the local met projections for today, Titlagarh and Bolangir are set to boil with around 44-45 degree Celsius. Places like Angul and Dhenkanal are set to witness the mercury hovering at around 43 degree Celsius. Over a dozen places in the State are likely to record maximum day temperature of over 40 degree Celsius, and nearly half-a-dozen locations in the State will have around 44 - 45 degree Celsius.
The forecast of the maximum day temperature for the Capital city today has been pegged at around 41-42 degree C. Sources in the local met office here have informed that the mercury had already touched 40 degree C by around 12:45 PM today.
The data available with the local met office here further revealed that last year on this day the Capital city had recorded a maximum day temperature of 30 degree Celsius. It shows the normal maximum temperature range for June 12 in the Capital city has been estimated at 35 degree C. However, maximum temperature in Bhubaneswar has gone up by at least 5 degree C above the normal temperature this year, which in meteorological parlance is defined as a marked rise in the maximum temperature anomaly or variation.
In its latest heat wave bulletin, IMD has issued a heat wave warning for the State till Thursday (June 13) only. However, the forecast did predict the maximum temperature in majority of locations in the State to hover at around 40-44 degree C till June 17.
IMD issues heat wave warning only when the actual maximum day temperature of a location touches 45 degrees C.
With regard to progress of South West Monsoon, IMD's latest release shows that the northern limit of SW monsoon passes over Kannur (Kerala), Madurai (TN) and extends up to Aizwal. The IMD Monsoon onset models suggest that this year the onset of monsoon in Odisha will take place via the south coastal areas in the State around June 19 and 20. And the Monsoon will cover the entire State by July first.