The heat wave in western Odisha continued to boil with mercury hovering above 40 degree Celsius on Monday while the coastal belt experienced some relief as the temperature dropped marginally.
Mercury which stayed at 48.5 degree Celsius at Titilagarh on Sunday, the highest in the country, slumped to 46 degree on Monday.
The other western parts of the State which recorded above 40 degree were Sambalpur (44.6), Bhawanipatna (45.7), Balangir (45.5), Malkanagiri (43.4), Jharsuguda (43.6), Hirakud (43.7) and Sundargarh (43.5).
As many as 14 places across the State recorded temperatures above 40 degree Celsius.
The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded temperatures of 39.2 degree and 37.5 degree, respectively.
The other places which had temperature above 40 degree Celsius were Angul (43.1), Baripada (42.4), Talcher (44.5), Keonjhar (42.3), Phulbani (41) and Dhenkanal (40.3).
Due to thunderstorms in some parts of the coastal part, people heaved a sigh of relief. There is possibility of nor’westers in the coastal belt within 48 hours, which might provide some relief from heat, said IMD Bhubaneswar Director Sarat Chandra Sahu.