Bhubaneswar: After a brief spell of cold wave, the night temperature in Odisha is likely to rise by 3-5°C during the next 3 days amid rain and thunderstorm activity, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on Tuesday.
This came a day after mercury plummeted to 4.7 degree Celsius at G Udayagiri, a hill station in Kandhamal district, followed by Rourkela (5.7°C), Similiguda (6.5°C), Jharsuguda (7.2°C) and Phulbani (7.5°C). In Bhubaneswar, the minimum temperature was recorded at 13.6°C while the mercury stood at 12.5°C in Cuttack.
Bhubaneswar had recorded the season’s lowest temperature of 10.9°C on Sunday as an unrelenting cold wave swept across the state for the third consecutive day.
The weather agency has forecast light rain/thundershower at one or two places in Ganjam and Gajapati districts on December 17 and Ganjam, Gajapati, Raygada, Malkangiri and Koraput on December 18 with an expected change in the wind pattern and easterly as well as south-easterly wind carrying moisture blowing towards the state.
Shallow to moderate fog may also occur at one or two places in Kalahandi and Sundargarh till December 18 morning. The intensity of rain and thunderstorm activity may increase during the next two days.
On December 19, light to moderate rain/thundershower may occur at one or two places in Puri, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal and Kalahandi. Yellow warning of thunderstorm with lightning has also been issued for these night districts.
Light to moderate rain/thundershower may continue at one or two places across the state with thunderstorm with lightning at Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir, Sonepur and Deogarh districts. Dry weather is likely to prevail thereafter across the state, it added.
Meanwhile, a low pressure area persists over southwest Bay of Bengal. It is likely to become more marked and move west-northwestwards towards Tamil Nadu coast during the next 2 days. According to Director of SOA’s Centre for Environment and Climate (CEC) Sarat Sahu said that the northern cloud band of the low pressure system over central parts of south Bay of Bengal may move towards north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coast. He added that chilly weather is likely to make a comeback from Sunday onwards.