Bhubaneswar: Mercury hovered around 2°C in Kandhamal’s G Udayagiri for the second consecutive day, on Friday as Odisha continued to reel under severe cold conditions.
The hill station recorded 2.6°C, while Rourkela and Jharsuguda saw the minimum temperature plummet to all-time record low at 3.6°C and 4.6°C respectively. Jharsuguda saw a sharp drop of 7.2°C from normal, followed by Angul which recorded 7°C, a drop of 6.8°C from normal, and Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, where the mercury fell 5.6°C and 4.9°C below normal, to register 9.4°C and 8.6°C respectively.
A total of 22 places recorded temperatures below 10°C in the last 24 hours. These include Semiliguda at 4.1°C, Phulbani in Kadhamal at 5°C, Kirei in Sundargarh at 5.7°C, Daringbadi, also in Kandhamal, at 6°C, Sundargarh at 6.5°C, Nabarangour at 7.5°C, Dhenkanal at 7.6°C, Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi at 7.8°C, Keonjhar at 7.9°C, Balangir at 8.1°C, Ranital in Bhadrak at 8.4°C, Baripada at 8.6°C, Mahisapat in Dhenkanal at 8.9°C, Sonepur at 9°C, Sambalpur at 9.2°C and Koraput at 9.5°C.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), severe cold wave conditions gripped the districts of Angul and Jharsuguda in the last 24 hours. Cold wave conditions also prevailed in Cuttack, Khurda and Sundargarh districts.
In the early morning, vast areas of Koida in Sundargarh were blanketed in a thick layer of white frost.
Cold wave warning continues for isolated pockets in districts of Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Cuttack, Khurda and Angul till January 10 morning. Similar conditions will prevail in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Angul and Dhenkanal during the subsequent 24 hours. It added that the minimum temperature is unlikely to witness any significant change during the next 24 hours and rise by 2-3°C during the subsequent 2 days with no large change thereafter.
