Bhubaneswar: With Odisha reeling under severe heatwave conditions, the mercury soared to 42.2 degree Celsius in Jharsuguda by 11.30 am on Thursday.
Eight places recorded temperatures of 35°C or more. Hirakud came close second at 41.4°C followed by Sambalpur (41.2), Bhubaneswar (41), Balasore (38.2), Keonjhar (38), Chandbali (37.8) and Puri (35), according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).
After an overnight spell of rain, Bhubaneswar had recorded 34.2°C on Tuesday and 34.4 °C on Wednesday. The mercury, however, soared to 32.4 degree Celsius in the Odisha capital by 8.30 this morning with humidity level touching 68 per cent.
The MeT office has predicted that the day temperature would touch 45°C in Sambalpur, Balangir and Jharsuguda, followed by Bhubaneswar, Bargarh, Sonepur and Boudh at 44°C. The mercury is likely to soar to 42°C in Cuttack. Similar weather conditions will prevail in western Odisha the following day with twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack registering 43°C and 42°C respectively.
Notably, orange alert for severe heatwave conditions has been sounded for a few places in Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir, Sonepur, Nuapada, Kandhamal, Cuttack, Khurda and Boudh districts for 2 days. “The maximum temperature is very likely to be remain 5 – 7°C above normal at a few places in Odisha during next 4 days and fall slightly thereafter,” the IMD said in its midday bulletin.
