Bhubaneswar: Odisha is experiencing the onset of winter chill with night temperature falling sharply across much of the state, with several interior and southern districts recording notably low minimums, according to the latest India Meteorological Department observations.
Semiliguda in Koraput district was the coldest on Wednesday morning at 11.1°C, followed by G Udayagiri at 12.5°C and the hill station of Daringbadi and district headquarters Phulbani at 14°C each. Jharsuguda and Bhawanipatna both touched 14.6°C. Other interior pockets also felt a noticeable crispness in the air with Nabarangpur at 13.5°C.
The night temperature dipped below the 15°C mark at seven places. Fog also affected parts of the state on Wednesday morning, with dense fog reported in Koraput.
As the early winter chill grips the region, the twin cities are also experiencing a noticeable dip in mercury levels. In Bhubaneswar, the minimum temperature was recorded at 20.4°C alongside a daytime high of 32.2°C, while neighbouring Cuttack registered a cooler night minimum of 18.8°C with a maximum temperature reaching 29.6°C.
Meteorological officials note that dry weather is expected to persist across the state over the coming week, allowing the seasonal transition into winter to firmly take hold.
The mercury had slipped below normal levels the previous day, dropping by about 2°C to 3°C at a few places over the north interior districts in the preceding 24 hours and remained 3°C to 4°C below average at isolated spots there, with smaller deficits of around 2°C noted in parts of the interior and coastal belts. In Jharsuguda, the minimum temperature was roughly 3.4°C to 3.5°C below normal, while coastal stations such as Kataka logged 17.4°C (about 2.2°C below normal) and Bhubaneswar 18.5°C (around 2.1°C below normal).
Director of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Manorama Mohanty attributed the fall in night temperatures to northerly winds flowing toward the state and indicated that minimum temperatures are expected to show no large change across Odisha over the next seven days.
Meanwhile, the IMD is monitoring a developing weather system, with a low-pressure area likely to form over the southwest or southeast Bay of Bengal around Friday. The system is expected to move northwestwards and become well-marked within the following 24 hours. Current forecasts suggest it is unlikely to produce major impacts over Odisha itself, with dry weather and the prevailing cool night-time trend expected to continue for several days.