Odisha sizzles under intense heatwave; mercury breaches 45 deg C

Bhubaneswar: As the weatherman is still clueless about the arrival of monsoon, Odisha continued to be under the grip of severe heatwave as maximum temperatures hovered above 45 degrees Celsius at six places today.

Besides, as many as 15 districts witnessed temperature above 40 degree Celsius forcing people to stay indoors during the day time.

Western Odisha has virtually turned into a boiling cauldron as Sambalpur was the hottest place in the state today recording 45.6 degree Celsius.

Hirakud recorded 45.2 degree Celsius followed by Titlagarh (45), Sonepur (45.2), Sundergarh (44.5), Jharsuguda (45) and Balangir (42.5)

The state capital of Bhubaneswar sizzled at 42.5 degree Celsius while neighbouring Cuttack recorded 40.5 degree Celsius.

The coastal Odisha districts also witnessed a substantial rise in the maximum day temperature today.

Balasore recorded 35.2 degree Celsius followed by Chandbali (40.8), Gopalpur (32.4), Paradip (33.3), Puri (35.4) and Baripada (38.6).

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) regional centre has issued heat wave warning for 17 districts during the next three days.