Bhubaneswar: Phulbani town in Kandhamal district experienced intense cold weather as temperature plunged below six degree Celsius in the area Sunday.
Mercury fell to 5.5 degree Celsius in the town and resulted in mild snowfall across various places in the area.
Sources said the increased cold weather has disrupted normal life in the area. The poor were the worst affected due to lack of adequate night shelters in the block.
People travelling to Phulbani on official work faced hassles owing to non-availability of night shelters and rooms in some of the lodgings and hotels in the area.
Meanwhile, tourists are thronging the area to enjoy the winter and watch the snowfall. Many of them, arriving at night, however, were seen struggling to find a room. The snowfall was heavy in Simanbadi area in comparison to Daringbadi.
Minimum temperatures at other places were: Jharsuguda (7.4), Angul (8.6), Daringbadi (9), Baripada (8.5), Koraput (8.6), Bhawanipatna (9.2), Balangir (9.4), Keonjhar (9.5), Boudh (10.5), Talcher (10.6), Cuttack (11.6), Bhubaneswar (13.9), Balasore (11.5), Paradip (14.3), Puri (15.6), Sambalpur (11), Titlagarh (11.5), Malkangiri (13), Sonepur (11), and Nayagarh (13).
The meteorological centre has forecasted that minimum temperature is very likely to fall by 1-2 degree Celsius during next 24 hours and no large change thereafter over the districts of coastal Odisha and it will be below normal by 2-3 degree Celsius over the districts of interior Odisha over next three days.
PNN
