Bhubaneswar: Even as the minimum temperatures (night temperatures) dropped 2°C-3°C across Odisha during the last 24 hours, dense fog shrouded several places in the state on Wednesday morning as visibility dropped to just 50 meters disrupting the movement of traffic. The weather office issued a yellow alert over “very dense fog” in a few places of Odisha as cold wave conditions continue.
The increase in the minimum temperature is said to be under the influence of the cold northwesterly winds over the state. Phulbani was the coldest place in Odisha recording a minimum temperature of 5°C.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense fog prevailed in the Kalahandi, Sundargarh, Koraput, and Mayurbhanj districts. Shallow to moderate fog occurred in most parts of Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Cuttack, Angul, Devgarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Boudh, Kalahandi, and Rayagada.
The weather office has said that the conditions will continue for the next few days and foggy conditions will prevail in several regions of Odisha.
Meanwhile, in a letter to the district Collectors, the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) has directed the Transport department and police to take necessary steps regarding the movement of vehicles as accidents are likely during foggy conditions as it reduces visibility significantly. Therefore, the police and Transport department have been advised to keep a special vigil on the accident-prone sites.
The IMD has forecast that the weather across the state will remain dry for the next six days.
