Cold Wave Tightens Grip on Odisha, Likely to Persist for Two More Weeks

Bhubaneswar: Odisha reeled under another frigid night as a severe cold wave continued to sweep across the state, with temperatures dipping close to freezing in several interior and southern districts. G. Udayagiri in Kandhamal recorded the season’s lowest temperature at 3.1°C, followed by Semiliguda in Koraput at 3.6°C — among the coldest December nights seen in recent years.

The IMD regional centre in Bhubaneswar has cautioned that there will be no immediate respite, predicting that cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are likely to persist across interior and southern Odisha for at least the next two weeks.

The dry north-westerly winds, clear skies, and low humidity are causing rapid night-time cooling, conditions likely to continue until the end of December.

Night temperatures on December 11–12 showed a sharp fall across the state: G. Udayagiri (3.1°C), Semiliguda (3.6°C), Jharsuguda (7.1°C), Rourkela (7.2°C), Keonjhar (9.6°C), Sambalpur (10.8°C), Hirakud (11.4°C), Bhubaneswar (12.6°C), Gopalpur (13.4°C), Balasore (13.5°C), Paradip (14.1°C), Chandbali (14.4°C), and Puri (16.4°C).