A western disturbance, stretching 5.8 km above sea level in the upper troposphere, combined with a cyclonic circulation extending from northeastern Madhya Pradesh to southern coastal Odisha via Chhattisgarh, has set the stage for continuous rainfall across Odisha until April 20.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar has forecasted heavy rainfall in coastal districts for the next two days, issuing a yellow warning for thunderstorms accompanied by rain in most areas.
Currently, the weather in Odisha’s western and interior regions remains dry, with daytime temperatures soaring above 40°C. On Monday, Boudh recorded the highest daytime temperature in the state at 40.8°C, followed by Bolangir at 40.4°C, and Sonepur, Titilagarh, Bhawanipatna, and Jharsuguda at 40°C. Meanwhile, coastal districts are experiencing temperatures below normal, with rainfall and thunderstorms providing some respite from the heat.
Over the past 24 hours, significant rainfall was recorded across several parts of the state. Chhatrapur saw the highest rainfall at 37.6 mm, followed by Phulbani with 29 mm, Daringbadi with 28 mm, Gopalpur with 24.7 mm, Malkangiri with 22.6 mm, Keonjhar with 8.8 mm, Rayagada with 6 mm, and Puri with 2.4 mm.
Starting Tuesday, the intensity of rainfall is expected to increase, with a yellow warning issued for heavy to very heavy rainfall in coastal districts, accompanied by Kalabaisakhi (nor’wester) storms.
A yellow warning for heavy rainfall has been issued for Tuesday in seven coastal districts: Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Sundargarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, and Gajapati. Additionally, 21 districts, including these seven, along with Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Angul, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput, and Malkangiri, are under a yellow warning for thunderstorms, with winds expected to blow at speeds of 40 to 50 kmph alongside rain.
Manorama Mohanty, Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre, confirmed these weather predictions, adding that similar conditions are expected on Wednesday as well.
The weather department has issued a thunderstorm and rainfall alert until April 17, with the possibility of thunderstorms continuing until April 20. While no significant changes in daytime temperatures are expected in the immediate future, the weather pattern is likely to remain consistent over the next five days, according to Director Mohanty.
The combination of high temperatures in the interior regions and rainfall in coastal areas highlights the diverse weather conditions currently affecting Odisha.
