Odisha sizzles as monsoon stays away

11 places in Odisha recorded 40 degree Celsius and more on Monday with Hirakud being the hottest at 44.8 degree Celsius.
Vendor pours water to keep litchi fresh in Bhubaneswar on Monday  (Photo | Irfana, EPS)
Vendor pours water to keep litchi fresh in Bhubaneswar on Monday (Photo | Irfana, EPS)

BHUBANESWAR:  As North India virtually burns, Odisha too, is feeling the heat. That the south-west monsoon has become sluggish in its advancement has not helped the matter at all.

While the deep depression over the Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep region has affected the monsoon surge towards Odisha, the weather office has issued a heatwave alert for the next three days.

The summer was never so gruelling in recent memory.

The normal onset date for monsoon over Odisha is June 10 but its slow advancement and rise in temperatures again have created unbearable conditions for the people. 

Issuing the warning, the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre said heat wave conditions will prevail at Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Angul, Bargarh, Sonepur, Balangir, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi districts from June 11 to 13.

It also advised elderly people with chronic diseases and infants to avoid getting exposed to the scorching heat.

“The temperatures were above normal in interior and north coastal Odisha on Monday. Such conditions are expected to prevail in the State for the next three days,” Director, Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, HR Biswas said.

The mercury level in coastal Odisha might not remain as high as interior parts of the State but high humidity conditions will prevail in the region.

Met officials attributed the intense heat conditions in interior Odisha to the northwesterly dry winds and high humidity in coastal areas due to the moisture availability.

Besides, monsoon advancement towards Odisha will be slow in the next five days due to the system over the Arabian Sea which is expected to intensify further into a cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours.

Private weather forecaster Skymet said, on one side the system over the Arabian Sea aligned all the features of monsoon and finally pulled the monsoon surge over Kerala, on the other hand, it will be the reason behind its sluggish advancement.

As the low-pressure area continues to get more marked, moist winds will now concentrate over the system. As a result, rains will significantly reduce along the coast.

Although it will give rains along with coastal areas of Kerala, Karnataka, Konkan and Goa, it will not be enough for further advancement of monsoon, it added.

On the day, 11 places in the State recorded 40 degree Celsius and more. Hirakud was the hottest at 44.8 degree Celsius followed by Sambalpur 44.6, Titlagarh 43.6, Jharsuguda 43.2, Balangir 42.5, Sonepur 41.8, Angul 41.1, Talcher 40.5, Phulbani 40.4, Bhawanipatna 40.2 and Sundargarh 40 degree Celsius.

The Twin City of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar recorded 37.4 degrees and 37.8 degree Celsius respectively while the relative humidity in the State Capital was 78 per cent.

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