Bhubaneswar: The capital city sweltered on Thursday with season’s highest temperature at 42.2°C, with real feel — a measure of how heat feels on skin — soaring to a blistering 52°C by mid-afternoon. A high humidity of 76% (recorded at 8.30am) added to the woes. However, a thundershower in the evening brought the much-needed relief, also bringing down the humidity to 60% at 5.30pm.The intense heat during the day emptied streets and kept residents indoors, as hot winds and a searing sun made stepping out nearly unbearable.People felt the heat while riding motorcycles, even standing under shades of trees or rest sheds, as heat wave swept the city. Similar situation prevailed in other parts of the state. At least 25 places recorded a maximum temperature of above 40°C.“I felt like my face was burning while returning from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar in the afternoon,” said Chintamani Pradhan, a resident of Nayapalli.However, thundershower in the evening brought down the temperature a bit, giving residents a chance to gather at ‘chai khatis’ (roadside tea shops) of the city.According to Manorama Mohanty, director of IMD-Bhubaneswar, many places across the state, including the capital, experienced maximum temperature above 40 degrees Celsius. Similar condition may prevail at different places till May 25.The maximum temperatures are at least 3 degrees C above normal, along with above-normal relative humidity, said an IMD Bhubaneswar official statement.“An orange warning has been issued for four districts — Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Balangir and Nayagarh — for Friday, when heat wave to severe heat wave condition very likely at isolated places,” said Mohanty.She added a yellow warning has been issued for Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Bargarh, Angul, Sonepur, Boudh and Sundargarh districts, where heat wave condition is very likely at isolated places. “Warm night condition very likely to prevail at isolated places over the districts of Sambalpur and Balangir on Friday,” she said.Hot and humid conditions are very likely to prevail at isolated places over the districts of Balasore, Jagatsinghapur, Cuttack, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri and Khurda in next 24 hours.
