Bhubaneswar: Mercury plummeted to 10°C in Cuttack and 12.9°C in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday as a severe cold wave tightened its grip over Odisha.
The twin cities saw a drop of 3.5°C and 2.1°C from normal respectively.
Jharsuguda emerged as the coldest place in Odisha at 5.1°C, which was almost 7°C below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Rourkela closely followed at 6.6°C, while G Udayagiri in Kandhamal and Kirei in Sundargarh recoded 6.8°C each and the popular hill station Daringbadi shivered at 7.5°C. Other areas in western and interior Odisha where the minimum temperature dropped below 10°C include Sundargarh (7.6°C), Semiliguda in Koraput (8.5°C), Balangir (8.8°C), Keonjhar and Phulbani at 9°C each, Sonepur (9.1°C) and Dhenkanal (9.9°C).
Besides Cuttack, Koraput, Angul and Baripada recorded 10°C each.
The biting cold disrupted life, especially during early mornings and late nights. In Jharsuguda, daily wage labourers have been spotted huddling around bonfires for warmth. Similar scenes unfolded in Cuttack, where shop owners delayed opening their businesses amid sweeping cold winds.
In its midday bulletin on Monday, the IMD had forecast a gradual fall in the minimum temperature by 2-4°C during the next 3-4 days.
Meanwhile, the low-pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining equatorial region near east India ocean has become well-marked over the same region. The system, however, is unlikely to have any direct impact on Odisha.
