(Top) Youngsters drink sugarcane juice at Vanivihar and (above) a sweat-soaked man drinks water at Mausima Square in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 8: After a brief respite from the intense heat, mercury in the city has soared again.

The temperature in Bhubaneswar today touched 42.2°C, the second highest in the state after Sonepur, which sizzled at 43°C.

The highest temperature of the day was below 40°C on Monday and Tuesday because of a low pressure created on north and northeastern part of India and rain in some parts in the state. It climbed to 40.8°C on Wednesday before crossing the 42°C mark today.

“It was tough leaving home today because, along with the high temperature, the hot wind was also causing considerable discomfort,” said Atanu Das, a private company employee.

Met officials said there were chances of the temperature decreasing slightly in the next one or two days due to a low pressure and rain.

However this would be a temporary phase and the temperature would go up again.

“A low-pressure zone has formed above north Kerala and southeast Arabian Sea. Due to this, there is chance of the temperature falling down slightly in a day or two. It will soar again up after that,” said S.C. Sahu, director of the local Met office.

However, unlike the last week of April when the highest temperature of the day stood constantly above the 42°C mark, the highest day temperature remained within 41°C during the first week of May.

People working at the local meteorological department officials said the temperature would rise again from May 12.

The rising temperature will continue for around a week starting from May 12 and it will affect people. The chances of rain are low during that phase.

Met officials have warned that in the next two days, there might be thunder squall accompanied with hailstorm, which will be followed by gusty surface wind with speed reaching up to 60kmph at a few places. Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Boudh and Nayagarh are the places where the rain may occur.

There have been around 52 suspected sunstroke deaths reported during the past one month. However, only 15 of them have been confirmed, said officials.