Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued ‘Orange’ and ‘Yellow’ warnings for thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface winds reaching speeds of 50-60 km/h.
These conditions are expected to occur in the afternoon and evening hours at one or two places across various districts of Odisha until May 21.
According to the IMD’s mid-day weather bulletin, an upper-air cyclonic circulation over the west-central Bay of Bengal, adjoining north coastal Andhra Pradesh at 1.5 km above mean sea level, has merged with an existing trough, intensifying the weather system.
The IMD has issued an ‘Orange’ warning for thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface wind speeds reaching 50-60 km/h, which are very likely to occur in the afternoon/evening hours at one or two places in the districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Keonjhar, Balasore, and Bhadrak on May 18.
A ‘Yellow’ warning for thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface wind speeds reaching 40-50 km/h is also likely in the afternoon/evening hours at one or two places in the districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Sonepur, Boudh, Balangir, Kalahandi, and Kandhamal on May 18.
The IMD has also predicted a ‘Yellow’ warning for thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface wind speeds reaching 30-40 km/h, likely to occur in the afternoon/evening hours at one or two places in the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Bolangir, Koraput, Rayagada, and Gajapati on May 19.
Another ‘Yellow’ warning for thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface wind speeds of 30-40 km/h is expected to occur in the afternoon/evening hours at one or two places in the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Koraput, and Rayagada on May 20.
A further ‘yellow’ warning for thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface wind speeds reaching 30-40 km/h is likely to occur in the afternoon/evening hours at one or two places in the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Malkangiri, Koraput, and Rayagada on May 21.
The IMD has also predicted no significant change in maximum temperatures (day temperatures) across the districts of Odisha over the next 6-7 days.