Bhubaneswar: Odisha has begun to feel the winter chill with the night temperature plummeting below 10°C at G Udayagiri in Kandhamal district during the last 24 hours.
G Udayagiri was the coldest at 9°C, followed by Daringbadi and Phulbani at 12.5°C each, Rourkela at 12.7°C, Angul and Jharsuguda at 13°C each, 4.8 and 4.1 degrees below normal, and Kirei in Sundargarh at 14.2°C. The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack also recorded below normal temperature of 17.4°C (-2) and 17°C (-1.7) respectively.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast further fall in the night temperature by 2-3°C at many places in the state during the next 4 to 5 days.
The weather forecaster attributed it to flow of dry and cold northerly winds towards the state and clear skies. A shift in the wind pattern from northerly and north-westerly directions may led to further drop in the minimum temperature from Friday, it added.
However, the minimum temperature is expected rise again with the likely formation of a cyclonic circulation over the southern region of the Bay of Bengal between November 24 and 28, which may facilitate the influx of moisture along with intensified easterly winds towards the land. “ECMWF and NCEP GFS models indicate the formation of a cyclonic circulation/low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas around November 22. IMD-CFS V2 (Extended Range Model) mean wind forecasts indicate persistent northeasterly winds over the Bay of Bengal due to northeast monsoon during the next two weeks. The wind anomaly for week 1 (November 15-21) indicates a cyclonic circulation over southwest Bay of Bengal with moderate probability (30-50%) of cyclogenesis in the following week,” according to IMD’s extended weather forecast.
It further stated that the ECMWF model suggests a moderate probability (50-70 %) of cyclogenesis over the south Bay of Bengal from November 21-28 with a maximum over southwest Bay of Bengal around November 26.
