Bhubaneswar: The Southwest Monsoon advanced into more parts of Odisha on Monday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting favourable conditions for its further progress across the remaining parts of the state over the next 48 hours.
According to the IMD’s Midday Weather Bulletin issued by the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, the monsoon has extended into additional areas of Odisha along with parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. The northern limit of the monsoon currently passes through Balangir and Sundargarh districts in Odisha.
The weather office said conditions remain favourable for the monsoon to advance into the remaining parts of Odisha during the next two days, raising the likelihood of widespread rainfall activity across the state.
Light to moderate rain or thundershowers were reported from many places in North Coastal Odisha and several parts of South and North Interior Odisha during the past 24 hours. Sonepur district recorded heavy rainfall at isolated locations, with Sonepur and Dunguripalli receiving 7 cm of rain each.
The IMD has forecast light to moderate rain or thundershowers at many places across all districts of Odisha until June 24. A Yellow Warning has been issued for several districts, cautioning residents about thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph and isolated heavy rainfall.
For the next 24 hours, heavy rainfall is likely at one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bargarh, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Koraput districts. Thunderstorms with lightning and strong surface winds are also expected in several coastal, western and southern districts.
On June 23-24, heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Gajapati districts, while thunderstorm activity is expected to continue across large parts of the state.
The IMD has also warned fishermen against venturing into the sea along and off the Odisha coast on June 22 and 23 due to squally weather conditions. Wind speeds are expected to reach 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, with sea conditions likely to remain rough to very rough.
The weather agency said maximum temperatures are likely to fall by 2-3 degrees Celsius over the next two days under the influence of increased rainfall activity, providing relief from the prevailing heat in interior districts.
The outlook for the subsequent three days indicates no significant change in weather conditions, with intermittent rain and thunderstorm activity likely to continue across Odisha.
