Odisha continued to reel under intense heatwave conditions on Saturday, with the mercury surpassing the 40-degree Celsius mark at 15 different places, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Titlagarh in Bolangir district recorded the highest temperature in the state at 42.7 degrees Celsius, followed closely by Jharsuguda at 42.6 degrees Celsius. Bhawanipatna reached 42 degrees, while Sambalpur and Nuapada sizzled at 41.6 degrees each. Additionally, Hirakud registered 41.4 degrees, with Bolangir and Talcher both recording 41 degrees, the IMD said.
Rourkela logged 40.9 degrees Celsius, followed by Boudh (40.8), Sonepur (40.6), Sundargarh (40.2), and Angul (40.1). Keonjhar and Malkangiri also reached the 40-degree mark.
In contrast, the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack reported relatively lower temperatures of 36.7 and 36.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The weather office stated that heatwave conditions are expected to continue on Sunday across Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Nuapada, Sambalpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, and Gajapati districts.
Heatwave conditions are defined as a period of unusually high temperatures – typically 40 degrees Celsius or more – that persist for at least two days and remain significantly above normal. When such weather conditions continue for an extended period, a formal heatwave is declared.
In addition to the heat, the weather office predicted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, and Kandhamal districts during the afternoon or evening hours.
Amidst the soaring temperatures, district administrations have ordered the closure of schools, Anganwadi centers, and technical institutes in Sambalpur, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, and Jharsuguda from April 20 until further notice.
In Boudh district, educational institutions will remain closed until April 22, though scheduled examinations will proceed as planned. The Mayurbhanj district administration has also announced the closure of schools from April 20 to 23.
Earlier, the administrations of Bolangir, Subarnapur and Kalahandi districts had announced holidays for all schools and anganwadi centres from April 18 to 21. So far, nine districts have announced holidays for educational institutes.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has decided to set up heatwave shelters in the districts where required.
