Bhubaneswar: The regional meteorological centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued thunderstorm warning for 16 districts of Odisha on Wednesday.
The alert has been sounded for Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Malkangiri, Angul, Puri, Jajpur, Nayagarh and Koraput districts till 6 pm.
According to a Met 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.
While the pre-monsoon shower has occurred in most parts of Odisha under the influence of the approaching southwest monsoon, the India Meteorological Centre (IMD) has predicted heavy rain in coastal and southern districts in the next 48 hours under the influence of a cyclonic circulation formed in the north-west-central of the Bay of Bengal.
The cyclonic circulation is most likely to intensify into a low pressure in the next two days, the weatherman stated.