Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Wednesday that conditions are favorable for the southwest monsoon to advance further into more areas of Odisha over the next four to five days, issuing an Orange Warning for thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds across several districts of the state.
According to the IMD’s midday weather bulletin, the northern limit of the monsoon currently extends through Koraput and Phulbani in Odisha, with atmospheric conditions conducive for its progression across Odisha, Telangana, Jharkhand, Bihar, and parts of Chhattisgarh in the coming days.
An Orange Warning has been issued for the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Rayagada, and Gajapati, where isolated thunderstorms with lightning and surface winds reaching 50-60 kmph are expected until 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 indicated that light to moderate rain or thunderstorms are likely at various locations across all districts of Odisha within the next 24 hours.
Heavy rainfall was recorded at one or two locations in Angul district over the past 24 hours, with Banarpal in Angul receiving the highest rainfall of 7 cm. Khajuripada in Kandhamal and Dhamnagar in Bhadrak each recorded 6 cm of rainfall.
The bulletin also noted that a squall with wind speeds of approximately 74 kmph occurred in Rourkela on Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, heatwave conditions continue to affect parts of interior Odisha. Bolangir district is expected to experience heatwave conditions along with warm nights, while Jharsuguda and Sambalpur may also see heatwave conditions in isolated areas.
The IMD has advised residents in the affected districts to stay indoors during thunderstorms, avoid taking shelter 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 up to 60 kmph, and rough to very rough sea conditions along and off the Odisha coast from June 18 to June 21. Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea during this period.
