Bhubaneswar: With the entire Odisha reeling under severe heat wave throwing normal life out of gear, the three-day heat wave warning by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in 17 districts on Wednesday, has triggered panic among the people.
The temperature in the state capital which was 40.3 degree Celsius on Tuesday, rose to over 2 degrees (42.4) on Wenesday.
According to an evening release by the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, the temperature went up to 40 degree Celsius and above in 15 places with Sambalpur being the hottest place at 45.6 degrees. Apart from Sambalpur, the temperature hovered at 45 degrees and above in five places at Talcher (45.3), Hirakud (45.2), Sonepur (45.2), Jharsuguda (45) and Titlagarh (45).
Besides, the mercury went up to 40 degrees and above in Chandbali (40.8), Cuttack (40.5), Bhubaneswar (42.4), Angul (43.9), Keonjhar (40.9), Sundargarh (44.5), Bhawanipatna (41.8), Balangir (42.5) and Malkangiri (42.6).
The IMD, in its mid-day bulletin, issued severe heat wave warning in 17 districts of Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Angul, Bargarh, Sonepur, Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Boudh, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda and Bhadrak for three days till June 15.
Asked about the onset of the southwest monsoon in Odisha, Director, Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, H.R. Biswas said that the advance of the monsoon from Kerala has been delayed as the monsoon pattern is disturbed due to the cyclonic storm Vayu over the Arabian Sea. “Keeping this in view, the arrival of monsoon in Odisha is most likely to be delayed by another week. The arrival of the monsoon in Odisha, which was earlier expected by June 16, is likely to hit the state’s coast in the third week of June,” he added.