Odisha Tuesday continued to reel under a severe heat wave condition, with the mercury soaring to 44 degrees Celsius in the state's coal belt, an official said.
The coal town of Talcher in Angul district, about 170 km from Bhubaneswar, recorded a maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius, the state's highest so far this season.
Talcher is known for its coal reserves and has a number of coal mines. People stayed indoors, shops were closed and roads wore a deserted look in the town and its nearby areas.
The mercury also went up in several other places. About a dozen places recorded a maximum temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius, an official of the Bhubaneswar meteorological centre told IANS.
Hirakud recorded a temperature of 42.7 degrees, the state's second highest of the day, followed by Sonepur and Sambalpur (42.6 degrees each) and Jharsuguda (42.5 degrees).
Bhubaneswar and adjoining Cuttack were comparatively cooler, recording maximum temperatures of 40.9 degrees and 38.8 degrees Celsius respectively.
The situation is unlikely to change although light rain or thundershowers may occur at some places in the next two days, he said.
