Bhubaneswar: The regional centre of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar has issued a yellow warning for several districts across Odisha, forecasting thunderstorm activity accompanied by lightning and gusty winds, along with light to moderate rainfall over the next two days.
According to the IMD bulletin, till 8:30 AM of April 15, thunderstorms with lightning and surface wind speeds reaching 40–50 kmph are very likely to occur in the afternoon or evening at one or two places across 21 districts.
These include Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, and Keonjhar.
During this period, light to moderate rain or thundershower is also expected at several places over coastal and adjoining districts, with dry weather likely to prevail in the rest of Odisha.
From 8:30 AM of April 15 to 8:30 AM of April 16, the Yellow Warning continues for another set of 22 districts, including Sundargarh, Angul, and Dhenkanal, in addition to many previously affected areas.
The IMD has also warned of heavy rainfall at isolated places in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Sundargarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, and Gajapati districts during this window.
Despite the stormy forecast, the IMD does not expect any significant change in maximum day temperatures across the state in the coming 4–5 days.
Meanwhile, in the past 24 hours, Bolangir recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 40.8 degrees Celsius, while Phulbani reported the lowest minimum temperature at 18.0 degrees Celsius.
PNN