BHUBANESWAR: The unseasonal rain on Friday led to chilly weather almost across Odisha.
Between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Friday, Balasore recorded 18 mm rainfall, followed by Talcher 15 mm, Keonjhar 14 mm and Angul 11 mm. The Twin City of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar received 4 mm and 8 mm rainfall respectively.
The maximum day temperature in the Capital City stood at 20.8 degree Celsius and the minimum night temperature was 17 degree on Friday. While the maximum temperature in the Capital on Thursday was 26.2 degree, minimum was 15.6.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain or thundershower at isolated places in Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Keonjhar, Jagatsinghpur, Sundergarh, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj districts on Saturday.
Weather experts said the rains in winter occur in Odisha due to both western disturbance and easterly wave coming from the Bay of Bengal.
“A trough from south-west Rajasthan to Jharkhand now runs from south-west Uttar Pradesh to north interior Odisha across north-east Madhya Pradesh and north Chhattisgarh. A cyclonic circulation also lies over northern parts of Gangetic West Bengal and neighbourhood,” said Scientist, Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, Umasankar Das.
Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Jena on Friday directed the Collectors to advise the farmers to shift their harvested paddy to safe place and keep those covered to avoid any loss or damage to the crops. He also instructed them to take necessary measures to protect the paddy stored in the procurement centres (mandi).
In the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, Sundargarh district recorded 12.6 mm rainfall, Deogarh 9.9 mm and Jharsuguda 9.1 mm.
Private weather forecaster Skymet said, “Rains at this time of the year are very unusual for the region. Odisha only receives rains due to the emergence of low pressure or depression over the Bay of Bengal.
"Towards the end of December and first half of January, the formation of any weather system over north Bay is very rare.”
The rainfall activity over Odisha will start receding from Saturday and the weather will become dry from Sunday.
The day temperature will start increasing but night temperature may decrease by 2 to 3 degree Celsius, it added.