44.8 degC in Subarnapur as Odisha boils

Blistering heat and intense humidity scorched parts of Odisha on Thursday, with at least 15 weather stations recording a maximum of over 40 degrees Celsius, officials said.

The maximum rose by around 1-3 degrees in a few places and nine areas saw the temperature shooting up to 43 degrees Celsius or more, the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre said.

Subarnapur recorded 44.8 degrees Celsius, the highest in the state, followed by 44.5 in Bolangir, 43.8 in Sambalpur and 43.6 in Bargarh.

The mercury settled at 43.5 degrees Celsius each in Malkangiri and Bhawanipatna, while it was 43.4 in Jharsuguda, two notches above the average, it said.

The temperature in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack was 37.2 and 38 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The weather office predicted isolated to scattered rainfall in Odisha over the next five days. There will be no significant change in the maximum temperature, it said.