The heat wave in the State further intensified on Saturday with the mercury level crossing the 43-degree Celsius mark at seven places with Hirakud recording the highest temperature of 43.8 degree.
While Bhawanipatna and Titilagarh came second with 43.5 degree each, the temperature was 40 degree and above in Balangir (43.1), Talcher (43.3), Sambalpur (43.4) and Angul (43.1), Chandbali (40.8), Bhubaneswar (40.8), Jharsuguda (42.6), Keonjhargarh (40), Sundargarh (40), Phulbani (40.4), Malkangiri (41), Sonepur (42.6) and Dhenkanal (40.4).
In a release here, the local Met office predicted that barring rains or thundershowers at one or two places in the coastal districts in the next 24 hours, the heat wave would continue in most parts of the State and may even further intensify up to May 3.