Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that a thundersquall with wind speeds reaching 50-60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph, may occur at isolated locations in Odisha on March 20-21. This forecast is attributed to a cyclonic circulation persisting over the westcentral Bay of Bengal, off the north Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
An orange warning has been issued for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and hail, with gusty surface wind speeds of up to 50-60 kmph for isolated areas in the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Malkangiri, and Koraput until the morning of March 21. A yellow warning for thunderstorms, also with lightning and gusty surface winds of 30-40 kmph, is likely for isolated places in Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Puri, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Balangir, Nuapada, Boudh, Sonepur, Angul, Dhenkanal, and Deogarh districts.
Light to moderate rain or thunderstorms may also occur at several locations in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur, Boudh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Balasore, and Bhadrak.
The orange and yellow warnings will remain in effect for Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts, as well as Keonjhar, Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Kendrapada, respectively, over the next 24 hours. Additionally, light to moderate rain or thunderstorms may occur in one or two locations in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Rayagada, and Koraput.
Residents in the 10 districts under orange alert are advised to monitor weather conditions and seek shelter during thunderstorm activities to protect against lightning. They are also encouraged to follow traffic advisories in urban areas. The IMD recommends that farmers regulate the harvesting of crops and use hail nets to protect vegetables and crops from hail.
The IMD has also warned of squally weather with wind speeds of 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, along and off the North Odisha Coast during these two days. Fishermen are advised against venturing into the sea due to expected rough to very rough conditions.
On March 23, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty surface wind speeds of 30-40 kmph may continue at isolated locations in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar.
While no warnings are expected thereafter, light to moderate rain may persist in parts of South and North Odisha until March 26. The day temperature is projected to gradually decrease by 2-3 °C over the next three days, followed by a gradual increase of 2-3 °C in the subsequent four days.
