Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar has forecast a week of unsettled weather for Odisha, with light to moderate rain and thunderstorms likely across many districts. The state is under a ‘Yellow’ level weather warning for the next three days, advising residents to “be aware” of localised severe weather.
According to the midday weather bulletin issued on Friday, the synoptic conditions are favourable for the continued withdrawal of the Southwest Monsoon from several parts of the country over the next 3-4 days. However, for Odisha, this transition period will be marked by convective activity.
The IMD has delineated a detailed forecast for the coming week:
Day 1 (Today): A Yellow Warning is in effect for heavy rain and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) in Koraput and Malkangiri. A similar warning for thunderstorms without heavy rain covers a wide swath of coastal and interior districts, including Balasore, Bhadrak, Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, and Mayurbhanj.
Day 2 (Saturday): The warning shifts to southern districts, with heavy rain likely in Kalahandi, Rayagada, and Koraput. Thunderstorms with gusty winds are expected in over 15 districts.
Day 3 (Sunday): The threat of heavy rain subsides, but the Yellow Warning for thunderstorms with gusty winds remains for most districts of the state.
Days 4 to 7: The weather activity is expected to gradually reduce, becoming isolated to southern coastal and interior districts, with no warnings issued from Day 4 onwards.
The bulletin noted that light to moderate rain or thundershowers occurred at a few places over interior Odisha. Kotpad in Koraput district received the highest rainfall of 6 cm, followed by Barmul in Nayagarh and Bijepur in Bargarh, which both recorded 4 cm.
The plains of interior Odisha saw a significant temperature variation. Jharsuguda and Sambalpur recorded the highest maximum temperature at 34.0°C, while Phulbani was the coolest with a minimum temperature of 19.0°C.
For the state capital, Bhubaneswar, and its neighbourhood, the IMD forecasts a partly cloudy sky with the possibility of rain or a thunderstorm over the next 24 hours.
The IMD has stated that there are no warnings for fishermen along the Odisha coast for the next five days.
