Bhubaneswar: The heat-troubled State, which was eagerly waiting for an early monsoon rain, received an unpleasant news today after India Metereological Department (IMD) forecast a week long delay in the onset of monsoon.
"Forecast suggests that monsoon onset over Kerala this year is likely to be slightly delayed. The Southwest monsoon is likely to set over Kerala on June 7 instead of its scheduled date-June 1 with a model error of plus or minus four days," the India Metereological Department (IMD), New Delhi said in its release.
"We are not in a state to say the specific date when the monsoon would hit Odisha coast. After it reached Kerala coast, we can declare the actual date when it would strike over Odisha", Mamata Yadav, IMD (Bhubaneswar) director in-charge, said
"We are expecting that the second week of June may bring monsoon to the State", she added.
Interestingly, forecast of monsoon onset issued during the past 11 years (from 2005-2015) except 2015 has proved to be correct. This includes the error margin of plus or minus 4 days.
There would be some relief to South Indian states including Odisha from the intense heat as there could be some rainfall in the coming days.
"Currently there is a low pressure area in the south-west Bay of Bengal, which has already become well marked. It will become a depression and move towards Tamil Nadu coast by tonight. This will bring rainfall to the State, parts of South Interior Karnataka and parts of Kerala," Yadav added.
Skymet, a private forecasting agency, in its forecast for monsoon onset, had said that monsoon will hit Kerala between May 28 and 30.
The IMD has already made a forecast that monsoon will be "above normal" this year.
As per a Met release this evening, Sundergarh was the hottest place in the state today with 45 degree Celsius while temperature remained at 40 degrees and above in eight places. They were: Balasore (40), Chandbali (40.2), Angul (42.1), Jharsuguda (42.3), Sambalpur (40.0), Hirakud (40.9), Talcher (44.6), Bhawanipatna (43.2), Balangir (41), Titlagarh (44) and Sonepur (40.8).
Temperature in the state capital, which was 37 degree Celsius yesterday, went up to 39.4 today with relative humidity reaching 62 per cent.