IMD Issues Orange Alert For Heatwave In Odisha, Bihar, South Gets ‘Hot And Humid Alert’

Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand likely to see heatwave conditions in the next five days. ‘Orange alert’ given to Bihar and Odisha.

After the two days of relief, Odisha is likely going to see heatwave conditions again.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange alert' for Odisha, which has been reeling under a heatwave, for today and tomorrow (Sunday and Monday). However, the state may see a slight drop in temperature on the day after, said IMD scientist Naresh Kumar. He added that heatwave conditions will return in Odisha after two days of relief.

On Saturday, maximum temperatures at some places in India were recorded at seven to eight degrees above normal. In Odisha, Baripada and Boudh recorded a maximum temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius, reported PTI.

#WATCH | Senior scientist IMD Delhi, Naresh Kumar says, "For Odisha, we have given Orange alert for today and tomorrow and after that, we estimate that there may be a slight drop in temperature and after a break of 2 days, there will be heat wave condition again in Odisha. In… pic.twitter.com/0ExglJpXfD

— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2024

Meanwhile, in Bihar, the IMD has issued an 'orange alert' for the next 5 days due to heatwave conditions.

According to a PTI report, the threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches.

A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature exceeds 6.4 notches.

The temperature in Daltonganj and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand hit 43.6 degrees Celsius and 43.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, on Saturday. IMD scientist Kumar said there is a possibility of a heatwave in Jharkhand as well in the next 5 days. 

South Peninsular Region

While talking about the South Peninsular region, scientist Kumar said that it’s unlikely for the region to suffer heatwaves at this time. The IMD has forecast ‘hot and humid’ weather for the region. The regions for which a 'hot and humid' warning has been issued for the next 4-5 days include Kerala, Tamil Nadu and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Higher Regions 

In Northwest India, due to continuous thunderstorms resulting from western disturbances, the maximum temperatures are largely below 40 degrees Celsius. Kumar said, “Once the sun comes out the temperature is likely to rise slowly by 2-3 degrees”.

Amid the prevailing but weakening El Nino conditions, the IMD had earlier warned of extreme heat during the April-June period when around a billion people are expected to exercise their franchise during the seven-phase general elections.