Bhubaneswar: With cold wave sweeping Odisha, the capital city recorded the lowest January temperature in three years at 10.5 degree Celsius, almost 5 degree Celsius below normal, on Sunday, sources said.
The drop in temperature is being attributed to northwesterly dry and cold wind at lower levels and there would be no relief from the chill till Tuesday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
While Semiliguda in Koraput district shivered at 2°C, the lowest in the state this season, the mercury plummeted below 10°C at 21 places in the state the previous day. Jharsuguda at 5.5 degrees and Angul at 8.6 degrees experienced a cold wave with a drop by over 5 degrees from normal.
A cold wave warning has been issued for five districts of Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Keonjhar and Angul on Monday while three districts – Jharsuguda, Deogarh and Angul – are likely to experience severe cold wave conditions on Tuesday.
The minimum temperature is very likely to be 3-5°C below normal at many places during the next 2-3 days and gradually rise by 2-3°C in the subsequent period, the MeT office added.
The state government has sent an alert to district collectors to keep a close watch on the situation and take necessary steps as required.
