Temperature falls in most parts of Odisha as rain breaks heat spell

Bhubaneswar: Most parts of Odisha recorded a sharp drop in temperature today as rain breaks the heat spell bringing some relief to the people from scorching heat while heat conditions continued to prevail in other regions of the state, where temperature had crossed 44 degree Celsius in as many as four places.

The mercury breached the 40 degree Celsius mark only in nine places, compared to 15 towns yesterday as the rains that hit several parts of the state appeared to have acted as a coolant.

At least 16 heat-related deaths have been reported in the state so far this summer - four each from Sambalpur and Angul, three each in Bargarh and Sundargarh districts and one each in Balangir and Bhadrak, said the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC)

As many coastal areas experienced rains since last night, the maximum temperature in state capital Bhubaneswar dropped to 34 degree Celsius from 43.6 degree Celsius recorded yesterday, the MeT office said.

In Cuttack too, the mercury fell to 34.2 degree Celsius from yesterday's 40.8 degree Celsius, it said.