Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a red warning for heat wave conditions in Boudh and Bolangir districts, while forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds across several parts of Odisha over the next five days.
The weather office also warned fishermen against venturing into the sea along and off the north Odisha coast on May 28 and 29 due to expected squally weather and rough sea conditions.
According to the midday weather bulletin issued by the IMD’s Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, light to moderate rain or thunderstorms are likely at one or two places across Odisha during the next 24 hours. Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface winds reaching 50-60 kmph are likely in Angul, Dhenkanal, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Gajapati and Ganjam districts.
The IMD placed Boudh and Bolangir districts under red warning for severe heat wave conditions for Day-1, while Nuapada and Kalahandi districts are under orange warning for heat wave conditions. Jharsuguda district is also likely to experience heat wave conditions under a yellow warning. Warm night conditions are expected in Bolangir and Sambalpur districts.
Hot and humid weather is likely to prevail in several coastal and adjoining districts, including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati, the bulletin said.
The weather office said thunderstorm activity with gusty winds will continue over different districts till at least May 31, with orange warnings issued on May 29 and May 30 for several northern and interior districts.
The IMD said heat wave conditions prevailed at one or two places in Bolangir and Boudh districts during the past 24 hours, while warm night conditions were reported in Bolangir district. A squall with wind speed of around 67 kmph was recorded at Jharsuguda on Monday afternoon.
On Monday Boudh recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 45.9 degrees Celsius, while Keonjhar registered the lowest minimum temperature at 24 degrees Celsius.
The IMD stated that there will be no large change in maximum temperatures during the next two days, followed by a fall of 2-4 degrees Celsius thereafter across Odisha.
For Bhubaneswar and nearby areas, the IMD forecast a partly cloudy sky with the possibility of rain or thunderstorms during the next 24 hours. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 38 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius respectively.
The weather office advised people to avoid prolonged exposure to heat during peak afternoon hours, stay hydrated and remain indoors during thunderstorm activity. Farmers were advised to continue irrigation activities and take precautions to protect standing crops from strong winds.
