Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a nowcast warning for Bhubaneswar till around 6 pm on Thursday.
Light to moderate rain along with lightning and thunderstorm may occur at one or two places in the district of Khorda (including Bhubaneswar) during the next 3 hours. An orange warning of moderate thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and rain has also been issued for Anugulo, Kataka, Dhenkanal, Jajpur and Kendujhar districts till 6.25 pm.
People have been advised to keep a watch on the weather and move to safer places to protect themselves from lightning strikes.
This warning comes after overnight heavy downpours battered coastal districts of Odisha and inundated several places in Bhubaneswar as the state capital recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 107.9 mm. Heavy rain along with thunderstorm and lightning started at around 11 pm on Wednesday, intensified by midnight and continued all through the night.
The intense weather activity is being attributed to a cyclonic circulation, which persists over North Odisha & adjoining Gangetic West Bengal now lies over Northwest Bay of Bengal & adjoining north Odisha-Gangetic West Bengal coasts, and a monsoon trough passing through Firozpur, Rohtak, Shahjahanpur, Kanpur, Daltonganj, Digha, and extending east-southeastwards toward the Northeast Bay of Bengal.
The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain across the state till August 12.