Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued an Orange warning for very dense fog at isolated pockets of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Puri, Khurda, Cuttack and Nayagarh, cautioning people to remain prepared as reduced visibility conditions are likely to affect normal life, particularly road and rail transport, during the next 24 hours.
According to the midday weather bulletin released Bhubaneswar, dry weather will prevail across all districts of Odisha, but widespread fog conditions are expected to continue over large parts of the state for the next few days.
Shallow to moderate fog has already been reported at several places in both coastal and interior Odisha. Dense to very dense fog was observed at one or two locations in Khordha, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada and Puri, while light to moderate fog occurred in districts including Gajapati, Kandhamal, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and Kalahandi.
For Day 1 (till 8.30 am on January 4), the IMD has forecast shallow to moderate fog at a few places across more than 20 districts. Along with the Orange alert districts, a Yellow warning for dense fog has been issued for Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Angul, Boudh, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Kandhamal, Sundargarh, Balasore, Bhadrak, Ganjam and Gajapati, urging residents to stay updated on weather conditions.
The IMD said similar fog conditions will persist over Odisha during the next four days.
For January 4 and 5, very dense fog is likely at isolated pockets of Puri, Khurda, Cuttack and Nayagarh, with Orange warnings continuing for these districts. Several coastal, northern and southern districts will remain under Yellow warning for dense fog.
From January 6 to January 8, fog intensity is expected to reduce slightly, though shallow to moderate fog may still occur in parts of coastal and interior Odisha. Yellow warnings will continue for select districts till January 8, after which no significant weather warnings are indicated.
Night temperatures across Odisha are expected to rise by 2–3°C during the next 24 hours, followed by a gradual fall of 2–4°C thereafter.
The highest maximum temperature recorded on Friday was 30°C at Bhawanipatna, while the lowest minimum temperature in the plains was 8.5°C at Phulbani.
For Bhubaneswar and its neighbourhood, the IMD has forecast very dense fog during the next 24 hours. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 27°C and 15°C, respectively.
In its Farmers’ Weather Bulletin, the IMD advised caution due to dense and very dense fog conditions, particularly in districts under Orange and Yellow warnings, as visibility may remain poor during early morning hours.
No weather warning has been issued for fishermen along the Odisha coast for the next five days, and sea conditions are expected to remain normal.
