Odisha braces for intense heatwave over next 3 days

BHUBANESWAR: Several districts in Odisha are experiencing a scorching heatwave, disrupting normal life. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the weather conditions to worsen over the next three days with temperatures surpassing 45 degrees Celsius. Eight districts have been put on an orange alert.
According to the IMD, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Baragarh, Sonepur, Boudh, Balangir, and Keonjhar districts are likely to face severe heatwave conditions. A heatwave is declared when temperatures exceed 45 degrees Celsius for five consecutive days, while it becomes severe when temperatures rise above 6.4 degrees Celsius.
On Sunday, Bolangir recorded the highest temperature in the state, exceeding the normal average by 7.1 degrees Celsius. Jharsuguda followed closely with a temperature of 44.4 degrees Celsius, 6.2 degrees above normal. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded temperatures of 42.6 and 41.6 degrees Celsius, respectively, both around 6 degrees above normal. The delay in arrival of monsoon has resulted in high humidity, adding to the discomfort. The pre-monsoon showers have given Bhubaneswar a miss. The southwest monsoon hits the state on or after June 11.
"Usually by the second week of June, state receives few spells of rainfall as pre-monsoon rains bring the temperature down." said Bandita Kar, a marketing executive