Cold Wave Sweeps Odisha, Fog Advisory Issued

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has been hit by a severe cold wave at the start of the New Year, with temperatures dropping sharply across many parts of the state. Intense cold, coupled with dense fog, affected several regions, including the state capital Bhubaneswar.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts a further drop of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius in the next 24 hours. Dr. Sanjeev Dwivedi, from the IMD’s Bhubaneswar Regional Centre, explained that the cold conditions are due to cold winds from the north and northwest. He also indicated that the minimum temperature in many areas of Odisha could dip below 10 degrees Celsius over the next two days.

Following a brief warm spell in December due to low-pressure systems, the return of the cold wave has disrupted daily life, and no immediate respite is expected. The weather office anticipates that the intense cold will persist for at least the next four days.

On New Year’s Day, Jharsuguda recorded the lowest city temperature at 9.2°C, while G. Udayagiri, a hill station, experienced a chillier 6.2°C. Bhubaneswar’s temperature dropped to 16.4°C, and Cuttack observed 15.2°C. Dense fog also reduced visibility to below 100 meters in Angul and Phulbani, while shallow fog affected Keonjhar, Gopalpur, and Bhawanipatna.

The Meteorological Department has issued a fog warning for several districts, including Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Khordha, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kalahandi, and Nayagarh, which is expected to last until January 3.