Bhubaneswar, Apr 21 (PTI) At least 14 places in Odisha on Monday recorded maximum temperature at or above 40 degrees Celsius with Jharsuguda the hottest in the state at 45.4 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

The industrial town of Jharsuguda was the second hottest place in the country after Chandrapur in Maharashtra which recorded a maximum temperature of 45.6 degrees Celsius, the IMD said in its evening bulletin.

Jharsuguda was followed by Boudh (43.2), Titlagarh, Sambalpur and Sundargarh (43), Bhawanipatna (42.5), Hirakud at 42.4, Bolangir (42.3), Sonepur (42.1) and Rourkela (42).

The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded maximum temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius and 35.8 respectively. However, Bhubaneswar experienced uncomfortable sultry weather due to the high humidity level of 89 per cent.

The IMD also said that the day temperature is expected to rise by 3-5 degrees Celsius during the next three days.

“Maximum temperature is likely to be above 42 degrees Celsius in Angul, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Balangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Bargarh, Kalahandi, and Nuapada,” the IMD said.

The IMD issued a “Yellow warning” (be aware) of heatwave conditions likely in the western Odisha districts of Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Sundargarh and Sambalpur for Tuesday and Wednesday.

The weather office also said that thunderstorms with lightning with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph very likely to occur in the afternoon/evening hours of Tuesday at one or two places over the southern Odisha districts of Malkangiri, Koraput and Nawarangapur. PTI AAM AAM RG