Many stations of Odisha have registered mercury rising to 40°C or above simultaneously. Earlier Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack and Angul had crossed the threshold of 40°C and now Baripada, Bolangir and Titlagarh also join the club. Bhabanipatna, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur are potential locations to become a subset of 40°C in the subsequent 48 hours. Even the coastal stations like Balasore, Paradip, Chandbali, Gopalpur and Puri are lurching with temperature in excess of 36°C, staying 4-5°C above the normal.
Seasonal anticyclone which mostly throws moist air from Bay of Bengal has been pushed far to the east. Dry and hot winds from soaring belt of Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha has been accessing most parts of the state reaching threshold of 40°C on few occasions during this month. Odisha has been the maiden state to breach 40°C mark even in February this year.
There is no likelihood of any major relief for the next 3-4 days. Wind discontinuity is expected to form anytime around 01stApril or later along the coastline. This feature along with local heat may trigger some thunderstorm activity during that time. Thunderstorms are known for transferring flux and providing relief from the accumulated heat. But the weather activity will be limited to along and off the coast and the interiors may not find its impact.
