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While the monsoon has touched Kerala, numerous parts in Odisha are sweltering due to an alarming surge in daytime temperatures. The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) regional center in Bhubaneswar predicts that heatwave conditions will persist in Odisha’s interior and western regions until June 10.
On Friday, the weather office issued an orange alert for severe heatwave conditions in six districts of Odisha. They consist of Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sonpur, Boudh, Kandhamal, and Bolangir. Satyabrata Sahu, the Odisha Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), has stated that a severe heatwave will prevail in nine Odisha districts today. Similarly, a yellow heatwave warning has been issued for ten Odisha districts: Sundargarh, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Khurda, Ganjam, Gajapati, Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi, and Malkangiri.
As the daytime temperatures are likely to soar above 40°C in many places on Friday, people, especially the elderly, sick, children and pregnant women, have been advised to avoid leaving their homes between 11 am and 4.00 pm.
Meanwhile, the IMD has predicted scattered rain in some places on Friday. Overall, the weather will remain hot and humid with warm nights, the IMD said.
The weather models indicate that the onset of monsoon over Odisha and nearby regions might not happen before June 10 even as the hot wind flow from the northwestern part of the country is expected to continue for a week or more, CEC Director Sarat Chandra Sahu said.
The higher moisture content in the atmosphere will prevail over the coastal plains, causing discomfort, he said, adding that there was a chance of a norwester, locally known as Kalbaisakhi, hitting Bhubaneswar and its surroundings during the next one or two days.
He stated that the monsoon current had already set in over Kerala, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the northeastern states, creating moisture accumulation in Odisha.
Norwesters, which include moderate rain, thunder, and lightning, are expected to occur in intermittent spots throughout coastal Odisha and bordering districts over the next two to three days, allowing excess moisture to be removed from the atmosphere and reducing discomfort.
Meanwhile, the IMD report stated that at least 19 places in Odisha had day temperatures above 40°C on Thursday, with 12 stations registering the peak day temperature of more than 44°C. The industrial town of Jharsuguda in western Odisha became the hottest place in Odisha, with daytime temperatures reaching a record 47°C.
