Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a nowcast warning for seven districts of Odisha, including Kataka city, till around 3 pm on Sunday.
Thunderstorm with lightning and light rain may occur at one or two places in the districts of Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Kataka (including Kataka city), Dhenkanal, Bhadrak and Khordha during the next 2-3 hours. People have advised to keep a watch on the weather and move to safer places to protect themselves from lightning strikes.
The warning has come as continuous heavy rainfall in upper catchment areas has triggered flooding across Bhadrak and Jajpur districts. In Bhadrak, rising waters in the Baitarani and Salandi rivers, alongside massive embankment breaches—such as a 200-foot gap at Baro Dihia and another near Lanjatara—have inundated extensive farmland and residential areas across Tihidi, Dhamnagar, Chandbali, Basudevpur, and surrounding blocks, leaving some low-lying homes submerged under chest-high water. In neighbouring Jajpur, the overflowing Kani River triggered a riverbank collapse near Dhobil village that swept away a local resident.
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Meanwhile, the low-pressure system, which persisted over North Odisha and adjoining Jharkhand, has moved over northeast Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Chhattisgarh by 8.30 am.