The state of Odisha is combatting extreme heat a little early in the season. Bhubaneswar became the hottest place of the country yesterday along with many other locations including the coastal ones trailing just by a whisker. Bhubaneswar, city of sandstone temples and the largest one for the state of Odisha broke all-time record of heat for the month of March. First time ever the mercury climb sharply to scale the highest day temperature of 44.2°C on 31st March 2021. This surely was a blazing end of March with severe heatwave conditions and temperature soaring 8°C above the normal. It broke the earlier record of 42.2°C established on 21st March 2016.
Not only the state capital, few other stations also followed the track to register the highest ever temperatures of March. The heat did not spare even the coastal belt wherein Balasore and Chandbali surpassed their earlier milestones and set a new target by recording the scorching temperature of 43.0°C and 42.6°C. Just a day before, another interior town of the state bordering West Bengal, Baripada scored 44.6°C, the highest temperature for the state and country as well during March.
The state capital exceeded maximum temperature of 40°C in March on 4 occasions only during the last 10years: (2016-42.2°C, 2014-42°C, 2013-41.2°C, 2012-41.2°C). The average monthly temperature of March for the city is 35.2°C and the actual for March 2021 turns out to be 38.4°C, a whopping 3.2°C above the normal. During this month the city recorded temperature in excess of 40°C on 8 days. The distant 2nd record for the month was 40.5°C measured on 28th March 2021. Incidentally, the national capital Delhi also turned out to record the warmest March of 11 years by registering a mean monthly temperature of 33.1°C, 3.5°C above the normal.