With the influence of western disturbances waning over Odisha, minimum temperatures have been dropping across various regions for the past two days.
Starting from the night of December 25, the mercury is expected to dip further, leading to an increase in cold wave intensity. There is also a possibility of a low-pressure area forming in the south Bay of Bengal during the first week of January 2026, though the Regional Meteorological Centre has stated that it will have no significant impact on Odisha.
In both plains and hilly areas, night temperatures are likely to decrease by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius. The cold spell is expected to persist until the New Year, accompanied by increasing fog. Moderate to dense fog is forecasted in various parts of the state until the morning of December 29. A yellow warning for dense fog has been issued for Sundargarh, Dhenkanal, Kandhamal, Khordha, and Koraput districts for the next two days. Additionally, yellow warnings remain in place for Sundargarh, Kandhamal, and Koraput on December 28, 29, and 30.
As the New Year approaches, dry weather conditions will prevail across the state, with a statewide intensification of winter chill. From December 26 (Friday) onward, minimum night temperatures in coastal areas like Puri, Chatrapur, and Gopalpur are expected to hover around 15 degrees Celsius, while other regions will see even lower readings. Over the last 24 hours, temperatures dipped below 10 degrees in 11 cities, and fog was observed in 12 cities, according to Regional Meteorological Centre scientist Dr. Rajshree VPIM.
Particularly in hilly areas, Semiliguda recorded the lowest minimum night temperature at 6.1 degrees Celsius. Other notably cold cities include Koraput at 6.8 degrees, Phulbani and Daringbadi at 7 degrees, G Udayagiri at 8.4 degrees, Rourkela at 8.5 degrees, Nabarangpur and Jharsuguda at 8.6 degrees, Bhawanipatna at 9.2 degrees, Chipilima at 9.8 degrees, and Angul at 10 degrees.
Very dense fog was experienced in Nayagarh and Dhenkanal, with visibility reduced to between 0 and 50 meters. Dense fog was reported in Paradip, Bhubaneswar, Khordha, and Phulbani, while light fog was observed in Koraput, Bhawanipatna, Chandbali, Baripada, Keonjhar, and Rourkela. For the rest of the week, no major changes in temperatures are anticipated. Dry weather will continue, with cold nights persisting in interior districts and a gradual increase in winter intensity, as per the meteorological centre scientists.
