Bhubaneswar: Odisha experienced the first spell of colder nights on Monday as the minimum temperature dipped to 14.6°C at G Udayagiri.
Daringbadi and Phulbani, also in Kandhamal district, were close second at 15°C, followed by Koraput at 15.4°C. Shallow fog was also seen in Koraput, Bhawanipatna (20.5°C) and Rourkela (18.2°C) this morning.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Odisha saw an appreciable fall in the night temperature by about 2-4°C in the last 24 hours due to northwesterly dry cold winds blowing into the state and clearer skies with cloud cover under the influence of the severe cyclone Montha and easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal, reducing from Monday.
Though no large change in the night temperature is expected during the next 6-7 days, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, which recorded 20.8°C and 20.2°C respectively in the last 24 hours, may see the mercury fall below 20°C during this period.