Winter sets foot in Odisha, mercury dips below 15°C

BHUBANESWAR: Winter chill has finally descended in Odisha with minimum temperature across the State dipping way below 15 degree Celsius on Sunday.Little hill town Daringbadi was the coldest at 9.5 degree Celsius as dense fog engulfed parts of Kandhamal district on the day. 

Koraput also felt the nip in the air as it recorded 12.2 degree Celsius followed by Phulbani at 12.6 degree, Keonjhar at 14.2 degree, Titlagarh 14.3 degree and Jharsuguda 14.6 degree. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack’s minimum temperature was 17 degree Celsius and 18 degree respectively during the period. 

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature was appreciably below normal and below normal at a few places over interior and south coastal Odisha and below normal at most places in north coastal region of the State on the day.

The regional Met office said, minimum temperature is expected to remain below normal by 2 to 3 degree Celsius in the next three to four days in the State. “Minimum temperature is expected to rise in Odisha from Wednesday or Thursday onwards under the influence of a low pressure system which is likely to form over south-east Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood around Tuesday,” said Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Scientist, Uma Shankar Das.

Light to moderate rainfall or thundershower is likely to occur at one or two places in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Nabarangpur districts on Wednesday under impact of the system. Similar weather condition is expected to prevail at a few places in the four districts and at one or two places in Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Kalahandi districts on Thursday.