Bhubaneswar, Jan 13: After the clearing of clouds, night temperatures across Odisha have dropped once again, with the Meteorological Department warning of further decline in the coming days. The cold wave is expected to intensify on Makar Sankranti (January 14) and persist across the state till January 18, after which temperatures may gradually rise.

Cold conditions strengthened slightly on Sunday night, with G. Udayagiri recording the lowest minimum temperature at 4.8°C. Other low temperatures were reported from Phulbani (6.8°C), Daringbadi (7°C), Jharsuguda (7°C), Rourkela (6.7°C), Sundargarh (9°C), Angul (9.6°C), Boudh (9.8°C), Nabarangpur (9°C), Bhawanipatna (10°C), Keonjhar (10°C), Baripada (11°C), Cuttack (11.4°C), Bhubaneswar (12.3°C) and Khurda (12°C). Coastal Odisha witnessed a temperature drop of up to 3.5°C compared to the previous night.

Weather experts attributed the intensifying cold to the flow of cold, dry north-westerly winds combined with a high-pressure system over central India. This weather pattern is likely to trigger severe cold conditions, with minimum temperatures expected to fall by 3–4°C in some areas.

According to the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, no significant change in temperature is expected over the next four to five days. Cold wave conditions may prevail on Tuesday in Jharsuguda, Angul and Boudh.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has issued a cold wave alert for Wednesday night for Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Angul, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Dhenkanal, Kendrapada and Boudh districts. Forecasts indicate that coastal Odisha may see a 1°C drop on January 13, while on January 14, temperatures are likely to dip further, with Cuttack touching 10°C and Bhubaneswar 11°C. On January 15, the minimum temperature in both cities may hover around 10°C.