Mercury soars again in coastal Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: After two days gap, temperature in coastal Odisha went up sharply again on Wednesday. Local Met office said the heat wave would be severe in the next five days till May 27.

The ongoing heat wave in the State intensified further with temperatures soaring up to 40 degree and above in 14 places. Bhawanipatna and Titlagarh towns emerged as the hottest places in the State with 44.5 degree Celsius.

Besides, mercury also shot up beyond 40 degrees Celsius at Bhubaneswar (42.8), Chandbali (40.3), Cuttack (40.6), Angul (42.1), Jharsuguda (43), Keonjhargarh (41.2), Sambalpur (43.1), Hirakud (42.6), Talcher (43.8), Bolangir (43), Sonepur (42.5) and Dhenkanal (41.8).

According to IMD Bhubaneswar director Dr Sarat Sahu, rise in the heat wave in the State is due to the wind speed which is very slow. Due to this, temperature in the coastal region would soar up to around 43-44 degree in the next four days till May 24 while it would be around 44-45 degree in the interior districts till May 27, he added.