Mercury comes down marginally

Bhubaneswar: Even as the weather department predicted norwester rains in coastal and central regions of the state in next 24 hours, temperature in interior and western pockets today witnessed a marginal fall in comparison to previous day, which brings a brief relief from the scorching heat.

The mercury continued to loom above 40 degrees Celsius at around 11 places. Sundergarh turned to be the hottest today with 42.5 degrees Celsius followed by Jharsuguda, which recorded 41.8 while the temperature in Balangir, which had emerged yesterday as the state's hottest place with 44.2 degrees C, fell down to 41.4 degrees C today, a Met release said.

As the mercury crossed 40 degree C in around a dozen places, the maximum temperature stood at 41.8 degrees C at Jharsuguda, while it was 41.7 degrees C in Angul, 41.2 degrees C in Sambalpur, 41.1 degrees C at Hirakud, 41 degrees C in Malkangiri, 40.6 degrees C in Talcher and Titlagarh and 40.2 degrees C in Bhawanipatna and Sonepur, the MeT office said.

The state capital Bhubaneswar recorded 35.6 degrees Celsius, while neighbouring Cuttack registered 36.6 degree C.

The coastal regions of the state are likely to get thunder squalls along with hails and/or rains, the release added.