With rising mercury wrecking havoc in most parts of Odisha, a sudden spell of rain accompanied by gusty wind brought mild respite to residents of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack on Monday.
People were caught unaware when the gusty wind swept many areas around 5pm. Traffic was badly hit in Bapuji Nagar area after an electric pole got uprooted by strong wind.
Sources said rain also lashed some parts of Kendrapada district. Local meteorological department officials said the rainfall was not measurable as many areas in Bhubaneswar did not experience rainfall at all. “Intense heat wave will continue in some parts for the next 48 hours,” said Sarat Sahoo, director of local met office.
Hirakud recorded the highest temperature with 46.1 degree Celsius while places like Malkangiri, Titlagarh, Jharsuguda, Balangir, Sonepur, Sundargarh and Sambalpur singed with over 45 degree Celsius.
While government said that the blistering heat has so far sniffed out twenty lives in different parts, unofficial figure indicated the toll at 80.
