Odisha Extends School Summer Vacation by 2 Days in View of Heatwave

The Odisha government has decided to extend the school summer vacation by an additional two days due to the prevailing hot and humid weather conditions, according to an official statement. Instead of reopening on June 19, both government and private schools across the state will now resume their activities on June 21. The decision was made after careful consideration by the government, as stated in a letter issued by the School and Mass Education department on Friday.

The entire state remains in the grip of an intense heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in 31 different locations on Friday. Sonepur experienced the highest temperature at 45.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Jharsuguda at 45.4 degrees Celsius, Balangir at 45.3 degrees Celsius, Sambalpur at 44.8 degrees Celsius, Angul at 44.7 degrees Celsius, Hirakud at 44.6 degrees Celsius, Bhubaneswar at 44.6 degrees Celsius, Sundargarh at 44.5 degrees Celsius, Talcher at 44.4 degrees Celsius, Boudh at 44.2 degrees Celsius, and both Rourkela and Bargarh at 44 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted no significant change in the maximum temperature (day temperature) over the next four days, followed by a slight decrease in many places across the state. However, during this period, the temperature is expected to be 4-7 degrees Celsius above normal at a few locations, according to the Meteorological (MeT) office.

Sources in the local weather office indicate that Odisha is anticipating the arrival of the southwest monsoon between June 18 and June 21.