Cold wave conditions coupled with dense fog have severely impacted normal life across Odisha, with visibility dropping drastically in several districts. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense to very dense fog has enveloped large parts of the state, reducing visibility to less than 50 metres in some areas and making travel hazardous, particularly during early morning hours.
Districts such as Subarnapur, Boudh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur and Bhadrak have been among the worst affected. The twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar have continued to experience intense fog since the beginning of the New Year.
While fog intensity showed a slight decline compared to the previous day, cold wave conditions have intensified across interior and western Odisha. Daringbadi in Kandhamal district recorded the lowest temperature in the state, dipping below 8°C. Several other regions, including Phulbani, G. Udayagiri, Koraput, Rourkela, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Angul, Nabarangpur and Kirei, also reported minimum temperatures below 10°C.
The IMD has warned that cold and foggy conditions are likely to persist for at least four more days, with little improvement expected. In western Odisha, especially in the Bonai subdivision of Sundargarh district, dense fog has continued to blanket roads and open areas until late morning, with visibility dropping to as low as 15 metres in some locations.
Tourism has also been impacted, as visitors reported difficulty travelling through fog-covered routes, particularly in areas such as the Khandadhar waterfall. In Chilika, dense fog disrupted ferry services, and one person was reported missing following an incident involving a vessel operating under poor visibility conditions.
