Odisha Heatwave: Why Baripada Faces High Temperature? Know What Experts Say

Bhubaneswar: As Baripada in Mayurbhanj district continues to be the hottest place in Odisha for the last few days, many people have been wondering as to why the town has been witnessing such weather conditions, particularly during March-April.

Baripada remained the hottest place in Odisha on Wednesday recording highest day temperature of 44.5 degree Celsius. On Tuesday also, it was the hottest place in the state with 44.2 degree Celsius.

Environmentalists experts and meteorological scientists have presented several reasons for the unique heatwave conditions and high temperatures recorded at Baripada.

Explaining the weather phenomenon experienced in Baripada, noted environmental expert Jai Krushna Panigrahy said that unusually high temperature is recorded these days in Baripada primarily because of heat dome effect.

The temperature remains high as the atmosphere traps hot air like a lid or cap. Heat absorbed by the atmosphere and ground is unable to get released as westerly wind flow has almost stopped. Similarly, cool sea breeze from the east also does not exist now, he said.

This apart, the forest fire raging in adjoining areas in the district has also been generating enormous heat and contributing towards raising the temperature in Baripada, he said.

Senior scientist of India Meteorological Department (IMD) Uma Shankar Das said high temperature in Baripada during this time of the year is nothing new. “It is not unusual. If we analyse the temperatures recorded in the last 40-50 years, we will find that Baripada always  remained hot during March-April,” he said.

Stating that the temperature in Baripada remains higher than that in western Odisha during this period, Das said, adding that western region becomes hotter from May onwards.

During April 2010, Baripada had recorded very high temperature of 46.1 degree Celsius, he added.