Bhubaneswar: Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are likely to continue across several districts of Odisha over the next few days even as heatwave and hot-and-humid conditions persist in parts of the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday.
According to the midday weather bulletin issued by the IMD’s Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, light to moderate rain or thundershower activity was reported at one or two places in Odisha during the past 24 hours. Rasagovindapur in Mayurbhanj district recorded the highest rainfall of 4 cm, followed by Similiguda in Koraput district with 3 cm.
The weather office said the southwest monsoon is likely to set in over Kerala on May 26, with a model error margin of plus or minus four days. Conditions are also favourable for further advance of the monsoon into more parts of the southeast Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea during the next three to four days.
The IMD issued an Orange Warning for thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface winds reaching 50-60 kmph in the afternoon or evening hours at isolated places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Mayurbhanj districts till Thursday morning.
A Yellow Warning for thunderstorms with wind speeds of 40-50 kmph has been sounded for Cuttack, Sundargarh, Rayagada, Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam districts, while several other districts are likely to experience gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
Despite thunderstorm activity, heatwave conditions are expected to prevail at isolated places in Bhadrak, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Angul and Nayagarh districts. Warm night conditions are likely in Sambalpur and Bolangir districts, while hot and humid weather may continue in coastal and adjoining districts, including Balasore, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Puri and Khurda.
The highest maximum temperature in the state on Wednesday was recorded at 44.8 degrees Celsius in Jharsuguda, while Nabarangpur recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 22.5 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures were appreciably above normal by around 3 degrees Celsius at isolated places in interior Odisha.
The IMD has advised people to remain indoors during thunderstorms, avoid taking shelter under trees, unplug electrical appliances and stay away from water bodies and electrically conductive objects. It warned that strong winds may cause minor damage to standing crops, banana plantations, kutcha houses and loose structures in vulnerable districts.
For Bhubaneswar and nearby areas, the forecast indicates a partly cloudy sky over the next 24 hours, with maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 38 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius respectively.
