Sanjeev Kumar Patro

Bhubaneswar: After a lull in the heat wave post Fani striking Odisha coast, the hot season will be back with a bang in Odisha from coming Friday (May 10). The State would hardly get any respite from heat wave till May last. And thunderstorms in Odisha look to subside post Thursday (May 9).

The shocker on heatwave redux in Odisha by end of this week was made by the extended range forecast of Indian Metrological Department (IMD) that reveals a spike in the range of 1-3 degree Celsius in  the maximum temperature in Odisha since Friday.

The predictions show western Odisha districts like Jharsuguda, Bolangir, parts of Sundergarh, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal to record a maximum temperature of around 45 degree Celsius by next week. And except Puri, rest of the coastal districts would see the mercury shooting up to hover over 40 degree Celsius. And the maximum temperature in the Capital city will be around 42 degree Celsius in coming days.

As per latest IMD observations, maximum temperature in nearly two pockets in western Odisha have seen an appreciable rise of 3 - 5 degree Celsius on Monday. The IMD models show the maximum temperature in the State to shoot up further by the end of this week.

An analysis of the maximum temperatures in the State during the month of May reveals that Odisha has seen a substantial fall in the maximum temperature recorded post the hit of Fani.

The State as a whole had recorded an average maximum temperature of around 35 degree Celsius for the period May 3 - May 6 vis-a-vis of around 41 degree Celsius during period in every summer during the last decade. IMD data shows Titlagarh, hottest place in State, posting a dip of 4 degrees Celsius post Fani. The coastal districts, including State capital Bhubaneswar, have also recorded a fall of around 2 degree Celsius post May 3.

However, the maximum temperature in State will post a rise by the end of this week. While clear sky will see maximum solar insolation in coming days, the wind pattern in Bay of Bengal (BoB) will be aiding the heat wave in coming days.

An analysis of wind pattern in BoB shows that during the next week the wind speed at night will be mere 14kmph, and the wind direction will be away from Odisha coast. It seems maximum solar insolation coupled with little wind flow from BoB will pave the red carpet for the heat wave in Odisha.

Moreover, experts observe that such conditions may lead to formation of anticyclonic circulation over Odisha, which prevents rainfall associated with thunderstorms during the month of May.

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