Odisha experienced widespread fog and cold conditions over the past 24 hours, and temperatures dipped below 10 degrees Celsius in seven cities.
Jharsuguda recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 8.8°C, while Bargarh registered the highest at 29.8°C.
Meanwhile, hilly regions felt the chill more intensely. Daringbadi saw the night temperature fall to 8.5°C. Dense fog blanketed several districts, and Boudh reported extremely dense fog that reduced visibility to less than 50 meters. Furthermore, Balangir, Koraput, and Phulbani witnessed dense fog between 50–200 meters, while Sonepur, Bhawanipatna, Paralakhemundi, and Jeypore reported moderate fog between 200–500 meters. In addition, Gopalpur, Baripada, Sambalpur, Hirakud, and Rourkela observed light fog ranging from 500 to 1000 meters.
In the capital city, Bhubaneswar, recorded a maximum temperature of 27.8°C and the minimum of 16.8°C. Similarly, Cuttack registered a maximum of 25.6°C and a minimum of 13.8°C. Cold winds swept across most parts of the state, intensifying the chill.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a five-day fog alert. According to forecasts, light to moderate fog will affect Kandhamal, Koraput, Balangir, Boudh, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, and Jajpur.
From January 6–7, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Kandhamal, Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Sundargarh will remain under fog impact. Moreover, between January 7–10, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Cuttack, Puri, and Khordha will continue to face foggy conditions.
Authorities advised drivers to use fog lights and maintain a slow speed to avoid accidents. Additionally, commuters were urged to remain cautious during morning and evening hours as visibility is expected to remain low.
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