Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange Alert for six districts of Odisha, warning of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty surface winds reaching 50-60 kmph over the next 24 hours, even as the Southwest Monsoon continues its steady advance across the country.
According to the Midday Weather Bulletin issued by the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar on Thursday, thunderstorms with lightning and strong winds are likely at one or two places in Balasore, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Gajapati, Ganjam and Nayagarh districts till 08:30 AM on June 5. A Yellow Warning has also been issued for several other districts where thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 40-50 kmph are expected. Hot and humid weather conditions may prevail at isolated places in some coastal and interior districts.
The weather office advised people to remain indoors during thunderstorms, avoid taking shelter under trees, unplug electrical appliances and stay away from water bodies and conductive objects. Strong winds may cause damage to plantations, horticultural crops, banana trees, power and communication lines, and vulnerable kutcha structures.
Meanwhile, the Southwest Monsoon has advanced further into additional parts of the Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and the Bay of Bengal. The Northern Limit of Monsoon currently passes through Mangalore, Uthagamandalam and extends eastwards across the Bay of Bengal. Conditions remain favourable for its further advance into Goa, parts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and more areas of southern India and the Bay of Bengal during the next two to three days.
In Odisha, light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms occurred at several places during the past 24 hours. Heavy rainfall of 7 cm each was recorded at Buguda in Ganjam district and Gondia in Dhenkanal district. Banpur in Khurda district received 5 cm rainfall, while Ranpur in Nayagarh district recorded 4 cm. Several other locations reported light rainfall.
Day temperatures witnessed an appreciable fall of 2-3 degrees Celsius over South Coastal Odisha. Titilagarh recorded the state’s highest maximum temperature at 42.0 degrees Celsius, while Kendrapada registered the lowest minimum temperature at 20.0 degrees Celsius.
The IMD has forecast light to moderate rain or thunderstorms at a few places over Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh districts, and at one or two places in the remaining districts during the next 24 hours.
For Bhubaneswar and adjoining areas, the weather office has predicted partly cloudy skies with the possibility of rain or thunderstorms. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 40 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The IMD said no significant change in maximum temperatures is expected across Odisha during the next six to seven days.
