Intense Cold Wave In Odisha To Continue Till Jan 31: IMD

Bhubaneswar: Even as Odisha is reeling under an intense cold wave, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said there will be no change in weather condition till January 31.

Senior meteorologist of the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, Uma Shankar Das informed on Thursday that weather condition in Odisha usually changes due to ‘western disturbance’.

“A western disturbance is an extra-tropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter rain to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent. It is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the westerlies. Under its influence, the day and night temperature rises due to the cloudy weather. But as there is no western disturbance, the condition is favourable for the blowing of cold wind from the Himalayan region resulting in the onset of the cold wave conditions in Odisha,” Das pointed out.

According to a morning bulletin of the IMD, the temperature recorded till 5.30 am on Thursday was lowest in Phulbani at 4.5 degrees Celius. Temperature remained below 10 degrees in Angul (6), Daringbadi (8), Bhawanipatna (8.2), Koraput (8.6), Jharsuguda (8.8), Sundargarh (9.5), Balangir (9.5), Boudh (9.5), Sonepur (9.8) and Keonjhar (9.9).

Night temperature remained under 15 degrees at 15 places — in Balasore (12.8), Chandbali (12.9), Paradip (14.8), Gopalpur (14.4), Baripada (10.2), Sambalpur (10.6), Hirakud (11.1), Talcher (10.7), Titlagarh (10.5), Malkangiri (12), Nayagarh (11.3), Chhatrapur (14.2) and Rayagada (10).

The twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar recorded 12 and 13.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.