Mercury Drops Below 15°C At 14 Places; First Spell Of Cold Wave In Odisha From Today

Bhubaneswar: Even as Odisha is set to witness the first cold wave spell of this season from Tuesday, the minimum night temperature dropped to 9.5°C in Daringbadi, the hill station in Kandhamal district, in the last 24 hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

G Udayagiri and Phulbani, also in Kandhamal, were close second and third at 10.5°C and 11°C respectively.

However, it was Jharsuguda at 11.1°C, which saw a sharp 6.8°C dip in the night temperature from normal. The minimum temperature in this western Odisha town fell by almost 7°C in the last 5 days. Jharsuguda had recorded 17.8°C on November 6, which dropped to 11.6°C the previous day and 11.1°C early this morning.

The other places which witnessed a crisp chill in the air include Chipilima in Bargarh (12°C), Kirei in Sundargarh (12.2°C), Rourkela (12.9°C), Koraput and Semiliguda at 13°C each, Sundargarh (13.2°C), Keonjhar (13.4°C), Angul and Dhenkanal at 13.6°C each and Bhawanipatna (14.8°C). Dense fog was also seen in Rourkela and Koraput and moderate fog in Bhawanipatna.

The twin cities of Bhubaneswar & Cuttack recorded 16.2°C and 16.5°C, 4.4°C and 3.1°C below normal respectively.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a further dip in night temperature by 2-3°C due to the strong flow of northwesterly winds towards Odisha with cold wave warning issued for the districts of Kandhamal, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh on November 11-12.

Cold wave is considered in plains when the minimum temperature of a station is 10°C or less and is below normal by 4.5°C.

Many parts of the state, including Bhubaneswar, have witnessed a sharp decrease in the minimum temperature since the last one week. The mercury plunged from 20.8°C on November 6 to 14.8°C on November 10, with the night-time reading of minimum temperature 5.8 notches below normal. Similarly, the night temperature in neighbouring Cuttack dropped from 22.2°C on November 6 to 16°C on November 10.