A thick layer of dense fog blanketed Odisha on Thursday. Mercury has begun to plummet in the state with minimum night temperature falling below the normal by 2 to nearly 4 degrees Celsius in several regions.
The Regional Meteorological Department at Bhubaneswar had forecast a slight respite owing to a low-pressure system over the southern Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. While temperatures rose by a few degrees under its impact, cloudy weather now prevails over several places in many districts.
For the past few days, the sun has remained hidden until 9 am with heavy haze covering the skies, disrupting daily routines. On Wednesday night, the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack had recorded a minimum temperature of about 19 degrees Celsius, a rise of over 5 degrees in less than four days.
Similarly, the mercury rose in Rourkela to nearly 14 degrees Celsius from a chilling low of 6.8 degrees Celsius. The latest forecast by the Meteorology Department expects this pattern to continue as it stated that the temperature was very likely to rise further by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius over the next 2 to 3 days.
Meanwhile, places like Koida in Sundargarh district continue to reel under the cool wave while hill stations like G. Udayagiri also face similar conditions of frost and chill.
In the next 5 days, light rain or thundershower over scattered locations in Puri, Ganjam, Rayagada and Gajapati along with a few more southern districts may happen while a majority of the state will experience dry conditions.
Thereafter, while temperature might even drop by two to three degrees in some places, stated the IMD forecast.