Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty surface winds in several districts of Odisha over the next few days, while forecasting a gradual rise in day temperature across the state.
According to the midday weather bulletin issued by the IMD’s Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, light to moderate rain or thunderstorms are likely at one or two places in districts including Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Angul, Dhenkanal, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri till Wednesday morning.
The IMD issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore and Sundargarh districts during afternoon and evening hours on Tuesday. Winds with speeds of 30-40 kmph are also likely in several coastal and southern districts, including Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda and Ganjam.
The weather office said thunderstorm activity is likely to continue in parts of the state till May 19, with yellow warnings remaining in force for multiple districts over the next five days.
The bulletin stated that no significant synoptic system currently lies over the region. However, light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorm activity were recorded at one or two places across Odisha during the past 24 hours. Akhuapada in Bhadrak district recorded the highest rainfall of 5 cm, followed by Jenapur in Jajpur district with 3 cm.
Maximum temperatures witnessed an appreciable fall by around 2 degrees Celsius at a few places in south interior Odisha, while some areas of north interior Odisha recorded a rise of around 3 degrees Celsius. Temperatures remained 3-5 degrees below normal at a few places in interior Odisha.
Sambalpur recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 39.2 degrees Celsius, while Keonjhar registered the lowest minimum temperature at 21.4 degrees Celsius.
The IMD has forecast a rise in maximum temperature by 2-4 degrees Celsius across Odisha during the next six to seven days.
For Bhubaneswar and nearby areas, the weather office predicted a partly cloudy sky with the possibility of rain or thunderstorms over the next 24 hours. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to remain around 37 degrees Celsius and 26 degrees Celsius respectively.
