The Odisha capital on Sunday recorded a temperature of 44.1 degrees Celsius, the highest since 2010 even as heat wave conditions prevailed in some parts of the State with the mercury crossing the 42-degrees C mark in more than half a dozen towns.
Bhubaneswar was followed by coal town of Talcher where mercury level touched 43.6 degrees and the industrial town of Jharsuguda (43.1 degrees C).
The towns and cities which recorded temperature above 42 degrees C were: Angul and Hirakud (42.7 each), Titlagarh (42.5), Chandbali (42.3), Baripada and Sambalpur (42.2), Sundargarh and Malkangiri (42).
Stating that temperature in Odisha have gone up by 4 to 5 degrees Celsius this time, India Meteorological Department (IMD) director S. C. Sahu said the heat wave condition was likely to continue for at least two more days.
The temperature in Bhubaneswar reached at 44.1 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature in the city since 2010.
Though the State capital yesterday recorded 42.2 degrees C, the mercury level started increasing from this morning and reached 44.1 degrees C by 1.30 p.m., Met officials said.
Life became miserable as the humidity level also went up to 84 per cent in the State capital pushing the citizens indoors till evening. The State capital had recorded the highest temperature at 43.6 degrees on April 9, 2010, they said.
“The amount of rainfall and the soil condition determine the rise and fall in temperature of a place. If the soil is covered with grass, evaporation occurs as the heat takes away the moisture from the grassy soil. As a result, the atmosphere becomes cool. But as there is no substantial rainfall in Odisha since October last year, the soil has become dry,” Mr. Sahu said.
Meanwhile, a bulletin issued by the IMD said that the heat wave conditions prevailed over some parts of Coastal Odisha. It said rainfall occurred at one or two places over North Odisha and weather had been dry over the rest of the State. The maximum temperatures were appreciably above normal over north interior Odisha and above normal in the rest of Odisha. - PTI
