Odisha reeled under an intense heatwave on Saturday, with at least 17 places across the state recording maximum temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or above, officials said.
According to the latest evening bulletin from the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, the industrial town of Jharsuguda recorded the highest temperature in the state at 44.1 degrees Celsius—nearly 2.9 degrees above the seasonal norm—followed closely by Titlagarh at 44 degrees Celsius.
Several other regions also recorded temperature above 40-degree mark, including Bolangir (43.5°C), Nuapada (43°C), Sundergarh (42.8°C), Rourkela, Sambalpur, and Hirakud (all at 42.6°C), as well as Bhawanipatna and Boudh, which both hit 42 degrees Celsius.
In the state capital of Bhubaneswar, the mercury reached 36.8 degrees Celsius, while Cuttack recorded a high of 36.6 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack was 77 and 79, respectively.
For Sunday forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that hot and humid conditions are expected to persist in isolated areas across 15 districts – Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Sambalpur, and Angul.
Furthermore, the IMD has issued a forecast predicting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds for Sunday afternoon and evening. These weather events are expected to occur in one or two locations across the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, and Malkangiri.
