Bhubaneswar, Apr 22 (PTI) Odiha’s industrial town of Jharsuguda on Tuesday emerged as the hottest place in the country with mercury level reaching 46.2 degrees Celsius while 15 places in the state recorded maximum temperature at or above 40 degrees Celsius, IMD said.

Chandrapur in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra was the second hottest place in the country recording 45.8 degrees Celsius followed by Brahmapuri of the same region boiling at 45.2 degrees Celsius, The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Jharsuguda in the state’s western region, recorded an all-time high April temperature of 46.2 degrees Celsius amid the severe heat wave warning prevailing across the region.

“The previous highest temperature since 1953 was 46.1 Degrees Celsius, recorded on April 19, 2010,” senior weather scientist Umashankar Dash said in a post on X.

Jharsuguda was followed by Hirakud at 44.7 degrees Celsius), Sambalpur (44.6 degrees Celsius), Boudh (44.5 degrees Celsius), Titlagarh (44 degrees Celsius), Balangir (43.2 degrees Celsius), Angul (42.3 degrees Celsius), Nuapada (42 degrees Celsius), Talcher (40.6 degrees Celsius) and Paralakhemundi (40 degrees Celsius), the evening bulletin issued by the Meteorological Centre here said.

While Sundergarh and Sonepur recorded 43.8 degrees Celsius each, Bhawanipatna, Rourkela and Bargarh recorded 42.8 degrees Celsius each, it said.

The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, on the other hand, recorded below-normal temperatures of 36.7 degrees Celsius and 36.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. Bhubaneswar experienced sultry weather as the relative humidity was 78 per cent.

Meanwhile, the IMD issued an orange warning (be prepared to take action) of heat wave conditions for one or two places in Boudh, Bolangir, Sundargarh and Sambalpur districts till 8.30 am on Wednesday.

It also issued a yellow warning (be aware) for the districts of Nuapada, Bargarh, Kalahandi and Sonepur. Hot and humid conditions were forecast for one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati and warn night at one or two places in Sambalpur, Sundargarh, and Balangir.

The IMD also said that the severe heat wave condition will continue in Jharsuguda till April 24.

Keeping in view the prevailing heat wave conditions, the district administration of Jharsuguda declared closure of schools from Wednesday till April 25.

In a notification, the district administration said that the schools, including the residential schools, will remain closed till Friday.

“We have also asked Anganwadi children not to come to the centres, and the ration will be sent to their homes. Everyone has been put on high alert. Heat stroke rooms in all PHCs are functional. We have asked the discoms to ensure there are no power cuts,” the notification said.

This apart, the administration asked all industries to not allow any outdoor work between 10 am and 4 pm. Even workers engaged indoors have to be provided water breaks after 1 hour, and instructions have been given to create awareness among the workers regarding the importance of hydration.

Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said that the district collectors are empowered to take decision of the school closure keeping in view the local situation.

He said the chief minister will take stock of the situation soon.

Odisha’s Energy Minister, KV Singh Deo, who is also the deputy chief minister, announced that there will be no power cut during peak hours of summer this year. PTI AAM SBN AAM SBN