Bhubaneswar: Heavy downpours lashed the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and parts of coastal Odisha Thursday afternoon bringing in the much-desired relief from the scorching heat. The regional office of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) here has issued an orange warning for 18 districts of Odisha today saying that the downpour is likely to continue for another few hours.
Moderate rain/thundershowers with one or two intense/heavy spells of rain are likely in Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Jajapur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bolangir, Bargarh, Sonepur, and Sambalpur within the next three hours.
The rainfall today led to a drop in the maximum temperature at most places in the state by 3°C-4°C. The IMD also said that the conditions are favourable for further advancement of the southwest monsoon in the state over the next one or two days.
Nonetheless, severe heatwave conditions will continue to prevail in parts of western Odisha where the maximum temperature is likely to be above 40°C. Heatwave conditions are likely to prevail in Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, and Bargarh for the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the weather office has warned of water-logging in low-lying areas, occasionally poor visibility, and traffic disruption during rain in urban areas. People have been advised to avoid movement in affected areas and make arrangements for drainage of excess water.
