Bhubaneswar: Conditions are favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon into more parts of Odisha over the next four to five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday while issuing an Orange Warning for thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds in several districts of the state.
According to the IMD’s midday weather bulletin, the northern limit of the monsoon currently passes through Koraput and Phulbani in Odisha, and atmospheric conditions are conducive for its further progression across Odisha, Telangana, Jharkhand, Bihar and parts of Chhattisgarh during the next few days.
The weather office has issued an Orange Warning for Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Rayagada and Gajapati districts, where thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty surface winds reaching 50-60 kmph are likely at isolated places till Thursday morning.
A Yellow Warning has been issued for several other districts, including Cuttack, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Ganjam, Puri and Khurda, forecasting thunderstorms with wind speeds of 40-50 kmph.
The IMD said light to moderate rain or thunderstorms are likely at a few places across all districts of Odisha during the next 24 hours.
Heavy rainfall was recorded at one or two places in Angul district during the past 24 hours, while Banarpal in Angul received the highest rainfall of 7 cm. Khajuripada in Kandhamal and Dhamnagar in Bhadrak recorded 6 cm each.
The bulletin also noted that a squall with wind speeds of around 74 kmph occurred at Rourkela on Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, heatwave conditions continued to prevail in parts of interior Odisha. Bolangir district is likely to experience heatwave conditions along with warm night conditions, while Jharsuguda and Sambalpur may also witness heatwave conditions at isolated places.
The IMD has advised people in affected districts to remain indoors during thunderstorm activity, avoid sheltering under trees and stay away from water bodies and electrical conductors during lightning events.
For fishermen, the weather office has warned of squally weather with wind speeds reaching 40-50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, and rough to very rough sea conditions along and off the Odisha coast from June 18 to June 21. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea during this period.
