Bhubaneswar: The searing heatwave enveloped parts of Odisha with Boudh town recording the season’s highest 45 degrees Celsius for the second consecutive day Friday and the mercury level crossing 40 degrees C at 25 places, the meteorological department said.
People sweltered under the sun with intense humidity during the day, while the minimum temperature was also above normal by 3.1 degrees or more at some places in Odisha, a bulletin said.
The heatwave singed Subarnapur, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Boudh, Bolangir, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Deogarh and Angul districts.
It occurs when the maximum temperature is 4.5-6.4 notches above normal and at least 40 degrees C in the plains or 37 in the coastal areas at two weather stations or more in a meteorological subdivision for two consecutive days, the department said.
Nine weather stations recorded 43 degrees or more, with Boudh town logging 45 degrees, the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre said.
The maximum temperature shot up to 44.7 degrees in the industrial town of Angul, followed by 44.6 in Deogarh, 44.5 in Talcher and 44 in Bolangir.
It rose by three levels above the average to settle at 40.2 degrees in the state capital and 40.1 in Cuttack, the weather office said.
There will be “no large change in the maximum temperature” during the next two days, following which it can slightly decrease by around two degrees in the subsequent two-three days.
The mercury level is likely to be more than 40 degrees and above normal by three-five notches in the interior parts of Odisha and by two-three levels in a few areas in the coastal region during the next couple of days.
The meteorological department issued a ‘yellow’ warning of a heatwave in several districts of western, north-coastal and southern Odisha for the next four days.
The alert is applicable for Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Subarnapur, Boudh and Bolangir on Saturday. It denotes that the heat is tolerable, but there is a slight health concern for vulnerable sections like the elderly and infants.
The weather office urged people to take precautionary measures while going out between 11 am and 3 pm in these areas.
Meanwhile, a cyclonic circulation is likely to form over the South Andaman Sea around May 4. Under its influence, a low-pressure area may form over the region during the following 24 hours and become more marked in the subsequent period, the department added.
PTI
