Odisha to face hot, humid weather till June 6 as monsoon stalls

Bhubaneswar, June 2: The southwest monsoon’s northward progression has remained stalled since May 29, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to forecast continued hot and humid conditions across Odisha until at least June 6.

According to IMD, the current northern limit of the monsoon extends through Mumbai, Ahilyanagar (Maharashtra), Adilabad (Telangana), Bhawanipatna and Puri (Odisha), and Sandheads (West Bengal). The delay has resulted in soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity in many parts of the state.

IMD has issued a yellow warning for 12 districts — Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, and Gajapati — for the period from June 2 to June 6. While light to moderate rainfall is expected in parts of South Odisha, most regions are likely to remain dry.

Senior meteorologist Umasankar Das explained that the absence of cloud cover has contributed to rising temperatures and increased moisture in the air. By 8:30 am on Monday, Bhubaneswar recorded 33°C with 55.4% humidity. By 11:30 am, temperatures had climbed to 38.4°C in Balasore, 37.4°C in Bhubaneswar, 37°C in Hirakud, and over 36°C in Chandbali, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, and Paradip.