Odisha heat wave: Boudh and Baripada reach scorching 45.2°C

Bhubaneswar: Odisha grapples with a relentless heat wave, with Boudh and Baripada hitting a scorching 45.2 degrees Celsius each on Saturday.

According to the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, a total of 13 towns sizzled above 43 degrees Celsius, while 30 locations soared above 40 degrees Celsius today.

Boudh and Baripada stole the spotlight by reaching a sweltering maximum temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius, marking them as the hottest spots in the state. Nuapada followed closely behind at 44 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, other areas such as Talcher, Bolangir, Nayagarh, Angul, Keonjhar, Jharsuguda, Hirakud, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, and Titlagarh experienced temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts minimal changes in the maximum temperature over the next 24 hours, with a slight dip of 2-3 degrees Celsius anticipated thereafter across various districts of Odisha.

Umashankar Dash, a weather scientist at IMD Bhubaneswar, highlighted the severity of the heat, stating, “Boudh and Baripada recorded a maximum day temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius. Similarly, Nuapada also recorded 43.9 degrees Celsius. In the interior regions of Odisha, temperatures hovered around 43 to 44 degrees Celsius.”

Dash also addressed the occurrence of Nor’wester rain in areas like Bolangir, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Gajapati, and Ganjam. He forecasted additional Nor’wester rainfall on April 21 and 22, which could lead to a slight relief with temperatures dropping by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. However, he cautioned that temperatures are expected to rise again after April 25 and persist until the end of the month.

The IMD’s forecast reiterates the expectation of minimal change in maximum temperatures over the next 24 hours, followed by a slight decline of 2-3°C thereafter across Odisha’s districts.