Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded an orange warning for seven districts of Odisha, including twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, till 10.50 pm on Saturday.
Moderate thunderstorm with lightning, gusty wind speed reaching 40- 50 kmph and light to moderate rain may affect some parts of Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack (including Cuttack city), Khurda (including Bhubaneswar), Ganjam and Nayagarh in 3 hours.
The weather agency has warned of minor damage to loose/unsecured structures, banana trees and standing crops. People have been advised to keep a watch on the weather and accordingly move to safer places.
Yellow warning of light to moderate thunderstorm/rain with lightning may also occur in some parts of Kandhamal, Jajpur, Deogarh, Sundergarh, Nuapada, Balangir, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Mayurbhanj. People in these districts have been advised to keep a watch on the weather and accordingly move to safer places to protect themselves from lightning strikes.
Notably, the IMD has forecast rain coupled with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty wind in several parts of Odisha during the next three days. It had also predicted thunderstorm with lightning and hail with gusty surface wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph at a few places in Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul, Deogarh, and Sundargarh districts in the next 24 hours.
Heavy rain (7 to 11cm) and thunderstorm with lightning may occur at one or two places over the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Mayurbhanj, and Keonjhar during the period. An orange warning was issued by the weather agency for all these districts in view of the expected weather conditions.