Odisha reeling under intense cold; snowfall in Koida

Bhubaneswar: Normal life has been thrown out of gear across Odisha under the influence of bone-chilling cold wave conditions as temperature continues to plummet further.

As many as 11 places of the State witnessed temperatures dipping below 10 degree Celsius with Kandhamal being the most affected, sources from the Indian Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar stated.

On Monday, Phulbani, the district headquarters of Kandhamal, recorded the season’s lowest with 5.0 degree Celsius while Daringbadi followed with 6.0 degree Celsius.

Intense spell of cold waves have also been witnessed in Keonjhar, Koraput, Mayurbhanj and other parts of Western Odisha. While interior Odisha also recorded drop in temperatures as compared to coastal areas, temperature drop has led to snowfall in Koida area of Sundergarh district.

While minimum temperatures stayed below 15 degrees in most places across Odisha, mercury dropped to 7.2 degree Celsius in Keonjhar, 8.6 degree in Angul, 9.0 degree in Sonepur and 9.5 degree Celsius in Titlagarh.

Cold wave conditions have also hit normal life in twin cities Cuttack and Bhubaneswar which recorded 11.4 and 11.2 degree Celsius respectively on Monday.

While old aged, patients and homeless are a worried lot due to spell of biting cold, workers, office goers and school children are also facing difficulties to reach their destination. Vehicular movement is also being affected due to dense foggy weather.