Intense heatwave sweeps across India: Odisha sees 8 cities soaring above 40°C in March-OxBig News Network

The month of March has brought intense heat across several states in India, with Odisha experiencing a scorching heatwave. On Sunday, eight locations in the state recorded temperatures exceeding 40°C, with the western Odisha city of Baudh being the hottest at 41.8°C.

Extreme heat in Odisha

According to the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre’s weather bulletin, Jharsuguda recorded a temperature of 41.6°C, while Sambalpur reached 41.2°C. Other towns in western Odisha, such as Hirakud, Bolangir, and Titlagarh, also saw maximum temperatures close to or above 41°C.

No Immediate relief in sight

The weather department has stated that temperatures will remain high for the next five days with no significant changes expected. In other regions, Sundargarh and Bhawanipatna recorded maximum temperatures of 40.3°C and 40.8°C, respectively. Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, saw a maximum of 37.1°C, while Cuttack registered 37.2°C. The weather department confirmed that the temperature during both day and night would not show substantial variation in the coming days.

Relatively cooler weather in Delhi

In contrast, Delhi experienced relatively milder weather conditions on Sunday, with the maximum temperature recorded at 32.4°C, which is 0.2°C lower than the average temperature for this time of year. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that on Monday, Delhi will experience strong winds, with temperatures expected to range between 33°C during the day and 17°C at night. The minimum temperature on Sunday was recorded at 16.3°C, which was 1.8°C lower than the seasonal average.

With the intense heat continuing to affect parts of India, authorities are urging the public to take precautions, stay hydrated, and avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun.