Bhubaneswar: After the first pre-monsoon spell on the first day of Raja Friday that brought relief to the sweltering heatwave conditions in the Capital city, a top Met official told Orissa POST that the southwest monsoon is all set to make its arrival in the state in the next four-five days. The IMD has predicted heavy rainfall and thunderstorm activities in several districts, Saturday and Sunday. It said that thunderstorms with lightning accompanied with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph is likely to occur at one or two places over Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, and Bolangir districts, Saturday.
Moreover, heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at one or two places in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Nawarangpur districts during the period. On Sunday some areas in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, and Bolangir districts will be witnessing thunderstorm with lightning accompanied with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30- 40 kmph, the official said. IMD also said heatwave conditions is likely to prevail at one or two places in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Saturday. Hot and humid weather conditions is likely to prevail at one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, and Gajapati districts during the period. Bhubaneswar Friday received 3.2mm rainfall while neighbouring Cuttack received 28.8mm rains.
Meanwhile, IMD, Bhubaneswar chief Manorama Mohanty said conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and northwest Bay of Bengal, some parts of Gangetic West Bengal, remaining parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal and some parts of Bihar during next four-five days. The weather bureau predicted no large change in maximum temperature (day temperature) in the next three days. Temperatures will gradually fall by 2-4 degree Celsius thereafter at many places over the districts of Odisha, it said. On Friday Baripada recorded highest temperature of 43.8 degree Celsiius, while Bhubaneswar recorded 33.1 degree Celsius.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP