Bhubaneswar: With cold wave sweeping Odisha, the mercury plummeted below 10°C at 12 places in the last 24 hours.
G Udayagiri was the coldest place in the state at 4.8°C followed by Rourkela (5.7°C), Phulbani (7°C), Jharsuguda (7.1°C), Daringbadi (7.5°C), Bhawanipatna (7.8°C), Angul (8°C), Keonjhar (8.8°C), Sundargarh (9°C), Jagatsinghpur (9.5°C) and Dhenkanal and Koraput at 9.6°C each.
The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 10.9°C and 11°C, respectively, which is 5.1 and 3.5 degrees below normal.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) cold wave conditions may continue at one or two places in Jharsuguda, Sundargarh and Angul till December 17 morning. Isolated dense fog is likely Kandhmal and Korapur districts till December 18 morning.
The prevailing chilly weather was attributed to the dry and cold northwesterly winds flowing towards the state.
The weather agency also informed about formation of a fresh low pressure over southeast Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours. The system is likely to become more marked and move west-northwestwards towards Tamil Nadu coast during the subsequent two days.
This is likely to strengthen the flow of easterly winds carrying moisture and trigger light to moderate rains at a few places in Odisha for three days from December 17. And this could lead to a gradual rise in the night temperature by 3-5 degree Celsius after 24 hours, it added.
