Heavy Rain, Hailstorm & Gusty Wind To Bring Down Temp In Odisha; IMD Issues Advisory

Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange warning of heavy rainfall for some districts of Odisha on March 19-20.

Heavy rainfall may occur at one or two places in Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Ganjam, and Khurda districts on March 19. Thunderstorm with lightning and hail accompanied with gusty surface wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph is also likely at one or two places in Boudh, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Balangir, Rayagada, Nawarangpur, Angul, Nayagarh, and Dhenkanal districts on this day.

Yellow warning of thunderstorm with lightning accompanied with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph has also been issued for one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, Gajapati, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Koraput, Malkangiri, Sonepur, Sambalpur, and Angul districts.

On March 20, heavy rainfall is likely at one or two places in Cuttack, Nayagarh, Khurda, and Kandhamal. Thunderstorm with lightning accompanied with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may also occur at one or two places in Koraput, Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur districts.

Under its influence, the day temperature is likely to fall by 3-5°C and night temperature by 2- 3°C.

People have been advised to keep a watch on the weather and move to safer places accordingly. They have asked to take shelter in pukka structures and avoid trees and also move away from electric poles and wires. Farming operations should be temporarily suspended during worsening of weather conditions. Farmers have advised to stake plants with stems with a string or twist-ties to build support, the weather agency said in an advisory.

While light to moderate rain may continue at several places on preceding days, yellow warning of thunderstorm with lightning has been issued for Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda, and Dhenkanal districts on March 17, and Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, and Deogarh on March 18.