Bhubaneswar records hottest day this season
Bhubaneswar: Dangerously hot weather has tightened its grip on Odisha and people are facing unbearable pain, with Bhubaneswar recording the season’s highest temperature of 44.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
The state capital sweltered due to scorching heat as the maximum temperature soared 6.8 degrees Celsius above normal. Residents faced extremely uncomfortable weather as the mercury stood at 33.4 degrees Celsius and 74 percent humidity at 8.30 am. The temperature continued to rise and it was recorded at 41.2 degrees Celsius at 11.30 am and reached its peak by 2.30 pm.
The scorching heat affected normal life in most parts of Odisha as 33 places recorded temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or more. Of those, the mercury level stood at 43 degrees Celsius or above at 14 places. Mayurbhanj, Jajpur and Dhenkanal continued to suffer from the scorching heat, while intense conditions prevailed in Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Angul, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, Nuapada, Nayagarh and Deogarh districts.
According to the regional weather office, Angul was the hottest in the state at 44.7 degrees Celsius (+4.5 degrees Celsius) and Baripada at 44.2 degrees Celsius (+6.7 degrees Celsius). Cuttack witnessed severe heat wave-like conditions and the mercury level reached 43.4 degrees Celsius, 6.3 degrees Celsius above normal.
The Met Office has predicted harsh conditions to continue until at least May 9, with weather experts saying this season’s extreme weather could potentially be the worst since 1998. About 27 heatwave days were recorded in Odisha between mid-April and May in 1998.
This month, the state has already recorded 15 heat waves in two spells. The matter of concern is that Odisha usually experiences heat waves for about 11 days between April and June.
Meanwhile, the regional weather office has predicted heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in parts of the state till May 1. The day maximum temperature is likely to be 4 degrees Celsius to 6 degrees Celsius above normal in some districts during the next four to five days. People are advised to take precautionary measures while going out between 11 am and 3 pm, the weather office said.
“The long duration of north-westerly, westerly dry wind and high solar insolation along with absence of significant rainfall activity has increased the number of heat wave days to 15 so far this month. After 2010, this is the longest period when Bhubaneswar has recorded temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or more for 11 to 12 consecutive days,” said Umashankar Das, scientist at Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre.
