Odisha shivers as mercury dips to record lows
Bhubaneswar: The mercury dropped to minus 1 degree Celsius in the Similipal National Park on Friday, the lowest recorded temperature in Odisha, as a cold wave gripped the State. The observatory in Upar Barha Kamuda in the park's core area recorded a temperature of minus 1 degree Celsius, according to the State Forest Department.
As per the IMD, G Udayagiri, a hill station in Kandhamal district, recorded 2.6 degrees Celsius, while the industrial town of Rourkela shivered at 3.6 degrees Celsius, and Jharsuguda recorded 4.6 degrees. Phulbani and Daringbadi recorded 5 and 6 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Director Manorama Mohanty said the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack registered 9.4 and 8.6 degrees Celsius, respectively. She said as many as 25 places in the State recorded temperatures below or at 10 degrees Celsius. Large areas of Koida in Sundargarh were blanketed by a thick layer of frost, she added.
Cold wave conditions would continue in parts of Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Cuttack, Khurda and Angul till Saturday, the IMD said.
The “bone-biting” cold, combined with icy winds and poor visibility (sometimes below 50 metres) due to fog has disrupted normal life. Roads look deserted during early morning and late evening hours. Authorities have advised residents to take precautions, especially the elderly and children.The primary cause is the continuous inflow of dry, cold winds blowing from northern and northwestern India into Odisha.
The ongoing La Nina phase in the Pacific Ocean often leads to colder winters in India, pushing the cold air mass further south and increasing the frequency and intensity of cold waves in eastern and peninsular regions. Persistent dense fog in the mornings has limited the amount of solar radiation reaching the ground during the day, preventing temperatures from rising and prolonging the cold stress.
The high altitude and forested, valley-flanked meadow areas of UBK in Similipal are susceptible to sharp temperature drops and frost formation, as cold air settles in these low-lying pockets at night.
