Bhubaneswar: With southwest monsoon hitting the Odisha coast on Friday, most parts of the state received widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall at some places.
According to a release by the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar in the evening, Gopalpur recorded the highest rainfall at 76.4 mm followed by Hirakud (70.4), Baripada (67) Phulbani (62), Koraput (47), Angul (44.6), Puri (48), Bhubaneswar (43.3), Sonepur (39.8), Keonjhar (36.6), Jharsuguda (32.1), Chandbali (31.4), Cuttack (28.2), Balasore (27.6), Sambalpur (28.8), Balangir (16), Sundargarh (15), Talcher (14), Malkangiri (12.1) and Titlagarh (11.4).
The release further said that heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at one or two places in the districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Angul, Deogarh, Bhadrak, Sambalpur and Sundargarh with isolated heavy rainfall at one or two places over the districts of Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Khurda, Ganjam and Puri in the next 24 hours on June 22, while Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Nuapada, Sonepur, Bolangir, Nabarangpur, Boudh, Kalahandi and Kandhamal will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the subsequent 24 hours on June 23.
Meanwhile, Additional Director General (ADG) of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, who arrived in Bhubaneswar on Friday afternoon, told the media that the monsoon this year is expected to be normal in the country.
“Though the onset of southwest monsoon in Odisha is delayed by almost two weeks, the state will receive normal rainfall this year,” he added.