Bhubaneswar: With mercury shooting to 39.4°C, the Odisha capital was the hottest in the country on Thursday.
The city can expect little respite with the weatherman predicting the maximum temperature to remain 2 to 4 degrees above normal at many places in Odisha during the next four to five days.
Also Read: Bhubaneswar Records Highest Temperature In Odisha
However, it is not the highest maximum temperature that Bhubaneswar has recorded in the month of February.
On February 23, 1963, the city witnessed 42.7°C. 53 years later, the mercury again soared past 40°C. The temperature recorded on February 21, 2016, was 40.9°C.
The Met office had then attributed the rise to a clear sky, weak sea wind, lack of northern wind and stronger south-west wind. An anti-cyclone flow (opposite of low pressure) centred over Odisha had also contributed to the soaring mercury.