By IANS
Bhubaneswar : Many parts of Orissa were in the grip of a heat wave as the mercury crossed the 40-degree mark Saturday. The maximum temperature was recorded in Cuttack city at 40.6 degrees Celsius.
“A heat wave is gripping many parts of the state with at least two towns Saturday witnessing temperatures of over 40 degrees,” an official of the Bhubaneswar Met Office told IANS.
The western Orissa town of Jharsuguda recorded 40.4 degrees Celsius and Cuttack saw the day’s high at 40.6 degrees Celsius, he said. Similarly, at least five towns recorded over 39 degrees Celsius temperatures.
The weather trend is likely to continue in the coming days and the climate will remain dry in most parts of the state, he said.
In May 1998, over 2,000 people died in the state due to a severe heat wave.