Odisha is witnessing highly abnormal weather as a deep trough line stretching across the state and neighbouring regions up to 0.9 km above sea level triggers a sharp contrast in conditions — blistering heat during the day in western districts and heavy nor’wester thunderstorms with lightning and hail in the south and coastal areas by afternoon.
The Regional Meteorological Centre has forecast that day temperatures will soar to 40°C on March 28 and 29, mainly in Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and other western Odisha districts.
On Friday, six locations already touched 39°C, with Titilagarh recording the highest at 39.5°C. Other places that crossed 39°C include Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Hirakud, Bhawanipatna and Sonepur.
While western Odisha continues to sizzle, southern districts experienced intense Kal Baisakhi activity on Friday. Rayagada received the heaviest rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning, while scattered showers lashed parts of Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Balangir.
RMC Director Manorama Mohanty said the trough line and associated cyclonic circulation will continue to bring widespread thunderstorms, lightning and hail across the state for the next seven days. Coastal areas are likely to remain cloudy throughout the week.
Alert Details
- Orange Warning (Saturday): Mayurbhanj district — heavy rain, hail, lightning and gusty winds of 50-60 kmph.
- Yellow Warning (Saturday): Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts — rain, lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph.
- Yellow Warning (Sunday to Thursday): Southern districts (Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada) and north-western districts (Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Balangir).
Mohanty added that there will be no major change in day temperatures over the next four days. From April 1, temperatures are expected to return to near-normal levels of 37-38°C as the weather system weakens.
