Bhubaneswar, Apr 21: Odisha continues to face scorching conditions as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued yellow warnings for heat, humidity, and thunderstorms across several districts.

For the past five days, western Odisha has been burning under relentless heat, with no respite in sight.

According to IMD, in the next 24 hours, coastal districts including Ganjam, Gajapati, Nayagarh, Khordha, Cuttack, Puri, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore will experience severe hot and humid weather.

Also read: Odisha Launches Summer Learning Program:Students to Study via WhatsApp During Vacation

A yellow warning has been issued for these 11 districts. Simultaneously, the impact of Nor’wester (Kalbaishakhi) storms is expected to continue for five days, bringing thunderstorms with lightning and rainfall to 25 districts, excluding Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, and Deogarh.

On April 23, heatwave conditions are forecast to intensify in Balangir, Angul, and Jharsuguda, with IMD issuing a heatwave alert until April 25.

The department has cautioned that there will be no relief from the heat during this period, and temperatures are expected to rise further by 2-3°C after four days.

In the past 24 hours, western Odisha recorded extreme temperatures, with 15 districts crossing 40°C. Titlagarh registered the highest at 42.5°C, while other districts hovered around similar levels. The IMD has warned that the combination of high temperatures and humidity will create uncomfortable conditions, particularly in coastal regions.

With the dual threat of heatwaves and thunderstorms, Odisha faces a challenging week ahead.

Taking the scorching heat under consideration, Odisha’s Samagra Shiksha has announced the launch of the Summer Learning Program to keep students academically engaged during the summer vacation.

The initiative will cover children from kindergarten to Class 8 across all government schools in the state, ensuring continuity in learning even during the holiday period.