Bhubaneswar, April 17 : People in Odisha are reeling under a scorching heatwave with the mercury rising beyond 40 degrees Celsius at many places in the state, an official said on Wednesday.

The Met Office has predicted that heatwave conditions are "very likely to prevail in most parts of the state for the next 2-3 days".

It also warned of "very severe heatwave" to "severe heatwave" conditions in some places in the state's Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Gajapati, and Nayagarh districts.

"Due to dry air and high solar insolation, the maximum temperature (day temperature) is likely to be 40 degrees Celsius or above at many places in the districts of Odisha, and likely to be above normal by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius in some districts of Odisha in the next 2-3 days.

"People are advised to take precautionary measures while going outside during the daytime between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.," an India Meteorological Department bulletin read.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government on Wednesday announced the closure of all the private and government schools across the state from April 18-20 amid the heatwave conditions.

/IANS