Commuters shield themselves from drizzle in Bhubaneswar on Friday.

Residents of Bhubaneswar woke up to light drizzle and fog on Friday as a result of excess moisture. Other places in the state, including Baripada, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Cuttack, Puri and Balasore also received light rainfall.

The weatherman has also forecast rain and thundershower at some places across Odisha on Saturday as well.

Regional Meteorological Centre director Sarat Chadra Sahu said the rainfall was on account of excess moisture in the atmosphere.

"We believe one or two places in the state will receive fog and light rainfall tomorrow morning as well. The night temperature is likely to dip from January 29 and this condition will prevail till February 2," said Sahu.

"It was very foggy in the morning but we thought it was normal for winter. But the drizzle surprised us. It made the weather pleasant. We hope the weather to remain like this for another 2 to 3 days," said Nayapalli resident Nisikant Das.

The dense fog, which enveloped the capital, reduced visibility to 100m and affected the commuters.

"It was difficult to drive in dense fog. Parents like us were finding it difficult to drop our children to school. We hope the foggy weather changes at the earliest," said Patia resident Manoj Mohapatra.

The night temperature continued to remain above 10°C at most places, except Daringbadi in Kandhamal district, which continues to be the coldest in the state at 9.6°C. Both Sundargarh and Koraput registered a minimum temperature of 11°C. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack were much warmer with a night temperature of 17.6 and 16.5°C, respectively.

"From January 30, the weather will become dry with reduction in night temperature. The temperature will drop by 4 to 5 degrees and residents will feel the chill, which is likely to continue till February 2," said a Met official.

Text by Lenin Mallick

Picture by Ashwinee Pati