Winter Chill In Odisha To Prevail Till February 1: Climate Expert

Bhubaneswar: While the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the ongoing cold wave condition in Odisha will continue till January 19, a well-known Met expert claimed that the state will continue to experience the winter chill till February 1.

The Director of the Centre for Environment and Climate (CEC) of SOA University, Dr Sarat Chandra Sahu, said due to the drifting of the high-pressure area to the southern part of the country, the intense cold wave condition will prevail in North India and some parts of the north-east and the eastern region, including Odisha.

However, there will be a slight change in the weather condition with a change in the wind direction due to the formation of a high-pressure area over Central India, added Sahu, who is also the former Director of the IMD’s Regional Meteorological Science Centre.

Under the influence of the high-pressure, the cold wave condition in Odisha will recede in the next 48 hours from January 19 with a marginal increase in the night temperature. But as the high pressure is most likely to drift in a few days, the winter chill will continue in Odisha with a constant fluctuation in the night temperature till February 1, he predicted.

On Sunday, the Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, HR Biswas, told the media that there will be no significant change in the cold wave condition in Odisha till January 19. However, there will be a rise in the night temperature by about 3-4°C in the interior districts of Odisha and about 2°C in coastal Odisha from January 20.

Biswas also informed that there will be shallow to moderate fog at one or two places over the districts of Cuttack, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada and Kalahandi in the next 24 hours.

As per the temperature recorded till 8.30 am Sunday, Phulbani was the coldest in the state with the mercury hovering at 5°C. Five more places recorded night temperature below 10°C including Daringbadi (8), Jharsuguda (8.2), Balangir (9), Boudh (9) and Sonepur (9.8).

Besides, the temperature remained below 15°C in Balasore (13.6), Chandbali (14.9), Cuttack (14.5), Angul (12.6), Baripada (12.5), Keonjhar (10.4), Sambalpur (10.7), Sundargarh (10), Hirakud (11.6), Talcher (12.7), Bhawanipatna (10.4), Koraput (11.2), Tittlagarh (11), Malkangiri (13.5) and Nayagrah (13.7).