Orissa town records 44.3 degrees Celsius

Bhubaneswar: The temperature in Orissa has crossed 40 degrees Celsius in a few places and Jharsuguda town recorded the highest at a scorching 44.3 degrees, met officials said Thursday.

According to the Bhubaneswar meteorological office, Jharsuguda town in the western district of Jharsuguda recorded the high temperature Wednesday, followed by 43.3 degrees recorded at Rourkela town in Sundargarh district.

Sambalpur and Keonjhar towns also recorded 40-plus temperatures.

State capital Bhubaneswar recorded 37.9 degrees, Paradeep 33 degrees and Puri 31 degrees Celsius, he said.

Orissa witnessed a severe heat wave in May 1998 in which over 2,000 people died. Titilagarh in Bolangir district recorded the state's highest ever temperature of 50.1 degrees Celsius in June 2003.