Bhubaneswar: The scorching heatwave tightened its grip across Odisha, with Jharsuguda and Talcher recording the highest temperatures in the state at 44 degrees Celsius each on Thursday. Titilagarh followed closely at 43.8 degrees Celsius. The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 42.1 and 41.8 degrees Celsius, respectively, as the heatwave intensified.
The day temperature in Bhubaneswar was 3.8 degrees Celsius above normal, making it the highest recorded so far this April and also the hottest in the past two years. On Wednesday, the mercury touched 41.2 degrees Celsius. In April last year, the city's highest temperature was 39.7 degrees Celsius, recorded on April 5. The highest April temperature ever recorded in Bhubaneswar was 45.8 degrees Celsius logged on April 11, 2016, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.
The IMD has issued a heatwave warning for Friday in six districts, including Khurda, of which Bhubaneswar is a part. The other districts likely to experience heatwave conditions are Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Balangir, Keonjhar and Angul.
The IMD has also warned that hot and humid conditions will continue for the next two days, until April 25, in 12 districts: Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati.
Besides, the possibility of light to moderate rain or thunderstorm activity is likely to persist in some districts, spanning both coastal and interior Odisha, until April 29, an IMD bulletin said. Sanjeev Dwivedi, scientist at the IMD's Bhubaneswar centre, said there would be no relief from the prevailing hot weather for the next three days, after which temperatures may drop by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.
The sharp rise in temperatures forced many residents to stay indoors. "The heatwave is unbearable. I have decided not to step out during the day," said Dinabandhu Boral, a retired teacher.
The soaring heat has sharply pushed up demand for cold drinks and packaged water. "Sale of beverages, juices and packaged water have increased manifold over the last couple of days," said Prabhat Patra, a trader in Chandrasekharpur.
