Bhubaneswar: A severe heatwave continued to grip Odisha, with residents reeling under oppressive heat and humidity as temperatures hovered near 45 degrees Celsius.
Jharsuguda remained hottest place in the state for the third consecutive day, recording a high of 44.8 degrees Celsius Friday, according to Regional Meteorological Centre.
At least 18 cities reported temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or above. Titlagarh recorded 44 degrees, followed by Sambalpur at 43.6, Angul at 43.1, and Bolangir at 43. Sonepur recorded 42.8 degrees, while Rourkela, Sundargarh, Nuapada and Bhawanipatna each recorded 42.6 degrees. Talcher reported 42.5 degrees, Paralakhemundi 42, Boudh 41.8, Bargarh 41.7, Dhenkanal 41.5, Phulbani 40.8 and Khurda 40 degrees.
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The weather office said prevailing conditions are likely to persist for the next two days.
Relief is expected from April 26 as Kalbaisakhi thunderstorms are likely to bring rain and gusty winds, leading to a drop in temperature by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius, the forecast said.
A yellow warning has been issued for Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Khurda, Puri, Ganjam and Gajapati districts for hot and humid conditions Saturday.
Fishermen have also been advised not to venture into the sea from April 26 to 28.