Odisha in grip of cold wave, Sonepur records 4 degrees Celsius

Cold wave conditions prevailed in most parts of Odisha on Saturday, with Sonepur town recording the season's lowest temperature in the state at four degrees Celsius, the MeT department said. The IMD has forecast that similar conditions will prevail across the state for the next two to three days.

"Minimum temperatures across Odisha have witnessed a sharp dip. They were markedly below the normal at some places in North Interior and South Interior Odisha and the coastal parts of the state," the IMD said in a bulletin.

While Gopalpur recorded the highest maximum temperature of 27.5 degrees Celsius, the lowest minimum temperature of four degrees Celsius was recorded at Sonepur town, it said.

Cold wave conditions likely to prevail

Cold wave conditions are likely to prevail in Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Khurdha, Puri, Nayagarh, Boudh, Sonepur and Bolangir districts, the bulletin said. Severe cold wave conditions are likely to prevail in some places in Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore and Deogarh districts on Sunday, it said.

"The minimum temperature in Odisha is likely to be below normal by four to six degrees Celsius over the next two to three days. It will be two to four degrees Celsius below normal after that," said H R Biswas, director of the Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar. Shallow to moderate fog is likely to prevail at some places in the south Odisha districts, he said.

"Apart from Sonepur, the areas where temperatures dipped below 10 degrees Celsius are Keonjhar (5.6), Jharsuguda (5.8), Daringibadi (7), Titlagarh (7), Sambalpur (7.4), Balasore (7.6), Angul (8), Baripada (8.5), Cuttack (9.6) and Hirakud (9.8)," the IMD bulletin said.

There is also a possibility of light to moderate showers in some parts of interior Odisha for three days from January 2, it said, adding the temperatures may further dip after the rain.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has put district collectors on alert over the cold wave conditions and asked them to ensure that people are protected from the biting cold.