Bhubaneswar: As Odisha is all set to encounter a long spell of extreme heat condition, at least 24 places in the state recorded maximum temperature at 40 degree Celsius or above on Wednesday.
As per the information shared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) , capital city of Bhubaneswar as well Nuapada turned out to be the hottest places in the state, both recording 43.2 degree Celsius.
The mercury touched or soared above 42 degree Celsius in at least 11 places in the state. Similarly, 20 places recorded maximum temperature of 41 degree Celsius or more.
Bhubaneswar and Nuapada were closely followed by Jharsuguda which recorded maximum temperature of 43.1 degree Celsius. Both Baripada and Paralakhemundi recorded 42.5 degree Celsius, while the mercury stood at 42.2 degree Celsius in chandbali, Bhadrak and Kendrapada.
Similarly, Titilagarh, Jajpur and Dhenkanal recorded 42 degree Celsius, while the mercury touched 41.9 degree in Angul. The millennium city of Cuttack recorded 41.8 degree Celsius.
With heatwave gripping the entire state for the last few days, cases of sunstroke and heat-related illness have been reported from 18 districts where 124 affected people have been admitted to hospitals.
This was stated by Dr Niranjan Mishra, Director, Public Health, while speaking to media. “We have received reports of 124 cases from 18 districts pertaining to sunstroke and heat-related illness. The affected persons are undergoing treatment in different hospitals,” he said.
While maximum number of 32 people have been admitted to hosptials in Sundargarh district, 27 have been hospitalised in Khurda, 21 in Mayurbhanj, 14 in Jharsuguda and 10 in Angul.
So far, one death due to sunstroke has been officially confirmed in the state.
Meanwhile, the IMD has warned that the state is likely to experience one of the longest spells of extreme heat condition in the last one-and-half decade.
The day temperature is expected to rise by 4-6°C at many places in the state during the next 4-5 days. The mercury may also to soar 40°C or above at many places in coastal Odisha due to prevailing northwesterly to westerly dry air and high solar insolation.
From April 5-23, the state has already recorded 11 heatwave days against the normal range of four to eight days. The heatwave conditions have prevailed over coastal parts for the last the nine days despite a drop in temperature in some places due to thunderstorm activity.
“If this continues, it would be one of the longest spells of heatwave in the state in last 10 to 15 years,” IMD scientist Umashankar Das told the media.
