Odisha continues to reel under cold and foggy conditions as temperatures remain low across several districts.
Weather officials confirmed that no major change in temperature is expected until the New Year.
In the past 24 hours, nine towns recorded temperatures below 10°C, while ten towns reported fog. Koraput registered the lowest temperature at 6.1°C, and Rourkela witnessed extremely dense fog with visibility dropping to between 0 and 50 meters. Light fog was also recorded in Sambalpur, Hirakud, Dhenkanal, Sonepur, Phulbani, Jharsuguda, Koraput, Bhawanipatna, and Baripada. Jharsuguda and Semiliguda reported minimum temperatures between 6°C and 7°C.
Cold and foggy conditions in hilly regions have already led to several accidents involving tourists. Authorities have urged caution while travelling during early morning hours.
For the next 24 hours, including Christmas morning, the Regional Meteorological Centre has issued a dense fog alert for Kandhamal, Dhenkanal, Sonepur, Sambalpur, and Sundargarh districts. In addition, fog is expected in parts of Sundargarh, Koraput, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balangir, Angul, Boudh, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapara. Altogether, 15 districts are likely to experience dense fog and cold conditions.
Regional Meteorological Centre Director Manorama Mohanty warned that traffic problems may arise in urban areas due to poor visibility. She advised commuters to remain alert while travelling in the morning hours.
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