Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department has issued red and orange warning for eight districts of Odisha till around 6 pm on Monday.
Severe thunderstorms, hail, rain, lightning with surface wind 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph may lashat isolated places in the districts of Cuttack and Dhenkanal in the next 3 hours. Similarly, moderate thunderstorms, hail, lightning, Rain with surface wind speed reaching 50-60 gusting 70 kmph may occur at isolated places in Ganjam and Kandhamal during this period.
There is also a warning of thunderstorms, rain, lightning with surface wind speed 50-60 gusting 70 kmph for isolated places in Balangir, Boudh, Kalahandi and Sonepur.
People have been advised to keep a watch on the weather and move to safer places to protect themselves from lightning strikes.
Notably, a sudden, 45-minute Nor’wester storm threw life out of gear in Cuttack city on Sunday evening, causing widespread waterlogging, uprooting trees, and snapping power supplies across major campuses and intersections of the city. Debris from fallen trees temporarily blocked major roads and key campuses, including the SCB Medical College and High Court. Lightning also struck the Cuttack Chandi temple, damaging a portion of its crowning arch-stone and collapsing a lightning arrester. Heavy rains left several market and residential sectors, such as Balu Bazar and Kazi Bazar, deeply submerged.
Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported, though a few vehicles sustained minor damage.
Eleven fire services teams from Cuttack and Bhubaneswar cleared major transit routes, while 45 TPCODL teams successfully restored 85% of the city’s power supply by the end of the evening. Structural engineers have also begun assessing the damage at the temple.
