Bhubaneswar: Winter has arrived in Odisha with night temperatures falling below 20 degrees across most parts of the state.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Semiliguda was the coldest place in the state on Monday night with 11.6 degrees Celsius, followed by G Udayagiri at 12.4°C, Daringbadi at 14°C, Phulbani and Jharsuguda at 14.5°C each, and Bhawanipatna at 14.6°C.
As many as six places recorded night temperature below 15 degrees Celsius. Other places where mercury dropped significantly included Nabarangapur at 15°C, Rourkela at 15.7°C, Hirakud at 16°C, Sambalpur at 16.2°C, Sundargarh’s Kirei at 16.2°C, Kendujhar at 16.6°C, Rayagada at 16.6°C and Chipilima at 16.8°C.The twin cities also felt the chill with Bhubaneswar recording 18.5°C and Kataka 17.4°C at night.
In Jharsuguda, the minimum temperature was about 3.5 degrees below normal, while in Bhawanipatna it was 2 degrees below normal and in Hirakud 3.2 degrees below normal.The most contrasting weather was seen in Koraput district. While Koraput town recorded 20 degrees, which is 5.2 degrees above normal, Semiliguda, just 20-22 km away, recorded 11.6 degrees, nearly 8.4 degrees lower than Koraput.
According to the IMD, similar weather will continue for the next seven days with no chance of rainfall for a week. A low-pressure area is likely to form over the southeast Bay of Bengal around November 13, but it is unlikely to have much impact on Odisha, said Manorama Mohanty, Director of Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre.
