Bhubaneswar, Jan 14 (IANS): A wave of cold continued to sweep the state unabated with the morning and night temperatures slipped to below what is normal for this time of the season in several parts of Odisha, official said Saturday.

The forested Phulbani town in Kandhamal district recorded a minimum temperature of 5.4 degrees Celsius Friday night, the day's lowest in the state, an official of the state meteorological centre here told IANS.

Similar low temperatures were recorded in at least six other districts. Minimum temperatures were 5.7 in Titilagarh, 6.1 in Sambalpur, 6.5 in Jharsuguda, 6.6 in Bolangir, 6.4 in Sundergarh and 6.2 degrees Celsius in Baripada, the official said.

The state capital Bhubaneswar and its nearby Cuttack, however, remained warmer, recording a minimum temperature respectively of 11.0 and 11.6 degrees Celsius, the official said.

The cold is likely to prevail over some parts of the state during next 24 hours, he added.