Cold wave to continue in Odisha until December 17, IMD warns

Bhubaneswar, Dec 15: A cold wave is expected to persist across several regions of Odisha until December 17, according to the regional center of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar. Cold wave conditions are predicted to continue in parts of Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts until Monday. Additionally, shallow to moderate fog is likely to affect areas in Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Bolangir, and Sundargarh through Monday morning.

The IMD attributes the chilly conditions to dry, cold northwesterly winds moving into the state.

A fresh low-pressure area is expected to form over the southeast Bay of Bengal in the next 24 hours. This system is forecast to intensify and move west-northwestward towards the Tamil Nadu coast in the following days.

The formation of this system is likely to strengthen easterly winds, which could bring moisture and lead to light to moderate rainfall in various parts of Odisha from December 17 for about three days. Light rain is expected on December 18 in areas including Koraput, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Rayagada, and Malkangiri, with further rain predicted in Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Ganjam on December 19. This weather change is expected to cause a gradual rise in night temperatures by 3-5°C.

In the past 24 hours, temperatures in at least ten places across the state dropped below 10°C. The coldest recorded temperature was in G. Udayagiri, Kandhamal, at 6.6°C, followed by Jharsuguda and Rourkela at 6.8°C each. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded minimum temperatures of 13°C and 11.5°C, respectively.