Bhubaneswar: The regional meteorological centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) here issued thunderstorm alert for three districts of Odisha on Thursday.
The alert has been sounded for Koraput, Malkangiri and Ganjam districts till 7:30 pm.
According to an IMD bulletin, the latest Doppler weather radar and images indicate that thunderstorm accompanied by hail and gusty surface wind speed reaching 50 to 60 kmph is likely to occur at these places.
People in these districts have been advised to stay indoors or shift to safe locations, if such weather conditions prevail.
On May 29, the meteorological centre had issued an alert stating that rain and thunderstorm are likely to occur at few places in Odisha, owing to a depression over the Bay.
The move came a couple of hours after the IMD confirmed the onset of southwest monsoon in Kerala.
The monsoon is expected to touch Odisha coast by June 10, with pre-monsoon showers in the first week of next month.