Bhubaneswar: Odisha simmered Tuesday recording the highest temperature of the season as unbearable hot weather and intense humidity continued and Sonepur in the western part of the state became the hottest place in the state at 44.4 degrees Celsius, the Bhubaneswar meteorological centre said.
The mercury shot up to 42 degrees or more in nine weather stations of the state and at least 21 places logged a maximum of 40 degrees Celsius or above, it said.
The heat in Bolangir town in western Odisha was just a shade less at 44.3 degrees and Titlagarh followed close behind at 43.5 dgerees celsius. The maximum settled at 37.6 degrees in coastal Bhubaneswar and 37 degrees Celsius in Cuttack, a weather office bulletin stated.
The sultry weather will continue and there will be no large change in maximum temperatures in the next two days, it said.
As a result the mercury is expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius at many places in the interior parts of the state and be above normal by three-four notches in some areas during the period.
It will fall by two degrees in the subsequent couple of days, according to the weather office.
It said that there is possibility of thunderstorms and rain in many districts over the next three days due to strong southwesterly winds from Bay of Bengal to the northeastern states and a cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand.
It forecast thunderstorms with gusty wind speed of 40-50 kmph at some places Thursday.
The Met department has advised people to take precautionary measures to tackle the heat while venturing out of their residences between 11 am to 3 pm.
PTI