Several parts of Odisha experienced light to moderate rainfall on Wednesday evening, with drizzles continuing into Thursday, including in Bhubaneswar. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the wet spell is expected to persist for the next four days.
The current weather conditions are attributed to the influence of a western disturbance and a trough line passing through the state. As a result, northern interior Odisha may witness thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and rainfall in the coming days.
“Thunderstorms and rainfall are expected in isolated places across Odisha for five days. In the next 24 hours, districts such as Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Khordha, and Puri will be affected,” said Manorama Mohanty, Director of the Bhubaneswar Regional Meteorological Center.
IMD Issues Orange and Yellow Warnings
The Regional Meteorological Center has issued an orange warning for seven districts and a yellow warning for twelve districts for the next 24 hours.
Districts under Orange Warning:
Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Sundargarh, Jajpur, and Dhenkanal. These areas may experience wind speeds of 40-50 km/h, along with hailstorms and lightning.
Districts under Yellow Warning:
Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Angul, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Nayagarh, Khordha, Puri, Ganjam, and Gajapati. Isolated places in these districts are also likely to witness thunderstorms and lightning.
The IMD has advised residents to stay updated on weather alerts, seek safe shelter during thunderstorms, and follow traffic advisories in urban areas. Farmers have been urged to install hail nets to protect crops and vegetables from potential hailstorms.
Meanwhile, cloudy skies prevailed across many parts of Odisha, causing a slight dip in minimum temperatures amid the rising heat conditions observed since late January. The IMD has stated that no significant temperature changes are expected over the next four to five days.
