Odisha continued to reel under intense heatwave conditions as 26 places in the state recorded maximum temperature at or above 40 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Jharsuguda, Odisha’s industrial town, emerged as the hottest location in the country on Wednesday, with the mercury soaring to 44.6 degrees Celsius, according to the weather department.
According to the evening weather bulletin of IMD’s Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, four places in the state recorded a temperature above 43 degrees Celsius during the day. Those places are-Talcher (43.5 degrees Celsius), Sambalpur (43.3), Hirakud (43.2), and Angul (43.1).
The high-temperature trend continued in other districts, with Titlagarh recording 42.5°C, Dhenkanal 42.4°C, Bolangir and Sonepur at 41.9°C each, Sundargarh at 41.8°C, Nuapada at 41.6°C, Bhawanipatna and Nayagarh at 41.5°C, and Rourkela at 41.3°C.
Officials noted that the capital city, Bhubaneswar, recorded 41.2 degrees Celsius, marking the first time the city has crossed the 40-degree threshold for the first time this summer.
Other places that recorded temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or higher include Chandbali, Baripada, Keonjhar, Phulbani, Boudh, Paralakhemundi, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Khurda, and Jagatsinghpur, the IMD added.
The weather officer said heatwave conditions are expected to prevail in the districts of Bolangir, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur on Thursday.
Additionally, hot and humid weather is anticipated in isolated pockets across Bolangir, Sundargarh, Boudh, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, and Gajapati districts on Thursday, it said.
The weather bulletin suggested that there will be no significant change in daytime temperatures across Odisha over the next four days, after which a relief of 2-3 degrees Celsius is expected.
In view of the prevailing heatwave conditions, the Bhadrak district administration has directed the classes of schools during morning hours from 6.30 am to 9 am, while the Sonepur district collector has extended the holiday for all educational institutes for another two days, till April 25.
The district administration in Dhenkanal announced the closure of all schools from Sishu Vatika to Class-12 from Thursday until further order.
