Normal life was hit as heat wave continued to prevail across Odisha with state capital Bhubaneswar recording a maximum temperature of 43. 2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
A Met official here said the state capital's recorded temperature was the highest for April in the last six years. Bhubaneswar recorded a maximum of 43. 6 degrees on April 9, 2010.
According to an India Meteorological Department regional office release here, apart from Bhubaneswar, 15 other places in the state registered temperatures over 40 degrees on Wednesday.
These are Balasore (41 degrees), Chandbali (41. 3), Cuttack (40. 6), Angul (40. 7), Baripada (40. 8), Jharsuguda (41), Sambalpur (40. 8), Sundergarh (42), Talcher (41. 6), Bhawanipatna (40. 5), Balangir (41), Titlagarh (40. 5), Malkangiri (42), Sonepur (41. 2) and Dhenkanal (40. 6).
The Met department forecast that temperatures would continue to rise in several parts of the state.
IMD regional director Sarat Chandra Sahu said the heat wave will continue in central Odisha and temperatures in most parts of Odisha's coastal region, which came down in the last two weeks, will increase again due to clear sky.
Sahu said the state capital usually records around 42 degrees from the third and fourth week of April.