Sonepur Sizzles At 44.5°C, 18 Places In Odisha Record 40°C Or Above

Bhubaneswar: Blistering heatwave swept Odisha on Tuesday with the mercury soaring to 44.5 degrees Celsius in Sonepur, the highest in the state, and there seems to be relief in sight from the hot and humid weather till the onset of monsoon around June 11.

While 18 places recorded maximum temperature at 40 degrees Celsius or above, it hovered around 43 degrees Celsius or above at four stations, the regional centre of India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Balangir was a close second at 43.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Titlagarh (43.2) and Sambalpur (43 degrees Celsius). The other places that recorded 40 degrees Celsius or above are Bargarh and Boudh at 42.5 degrees Celsius, Jharsuguda  (42.4), Bhawanipatna (42), Hirakud (41.9), Angul (41.7), Baripada (41.6), Paralakhemundi (41.5), Nuapada and Malkangiri (41), Dhenkanal (40.3), and Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Talcher at 40 degrees Celsius.

The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 38 degree Celsius and 39.4 degree Celsius respectively.

The IMD has forecast no large change in the day temperature during the next 4 to 5 days.