Thunderstorm, Gusty Wind & Hail Likely In Odisha From Feb 19-22; IMD Issues Orange & Yellow Warnings

Bhubaneswar: India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued orange warning of thunderstorm accompanied by lightning, gusty surface wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph and hail in Odisha from February 19-22.

The districts that are likely to be affected are Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, ,Bhadrak, Sundargarh, Jajpur and Dhenkanal. “A trough passing from Jharkhand to south Odisha now runs from Gangetic West Bengal to Telangana at 0.9 km above mean sea level,” it said.

The weather agency has warned of minor damage to loose / unsecured structures, banana trees and ripe paddy crops. People has been advised to keep watch on weather and take safe shelter during the thunderstorm activity to protect from lightning and follow traffic advisories in urban areas. “Also harvesting of crops may be regulated judicially and farmers are advised to use hail nets to protect vegetables and crops from hail,” it further stated

Yellow warning of thunderstorm with lightning for several districts of the state continues till February 23. There will be no large change in the night temperature during the next 4-5 days, it added.

Check the forecast here