Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department’s regional office situated in Bhubaneswar has issued an orange warning for heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lighting in as many as 10 districts of Odisha today.
The districts that will be heavily affected by rain and thunderstorms are Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, and Nabarangpur. However, it is likely that only one or two places in Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, and Sundergarh districts will receive the brunt of the heavy rain today. The weather office has also predicted that these places may even experience hailstorms, adding to the already tumultuous weather conditions.
To add to the already chaotic situation, some areas in Odisha have already received widespread rain and have experienced thunder and lightning as a result of Kalbaisakhi, a localized name for a weather phenomenon that is commonly known as Nor’wester. This weather condition is expected to prevail for the next four days, and the amount of rain may increase on Sunday. Thundershowers and rain are expected in most parts of coastal, interior, and western Odisha today.
The MeT has also issued a yellow warning for 13 districts, which means that lightning and rain are expected in these areas. These districts are likely to experience gusty winds with a speed of 40-50 kmph, adding to the chaos and turbulence.
The root cause of this severe weather condition can be attributed to the low-pressure line that extends from southern Chhattisgarh to the Arabian Sea and a high-pressure line that is currently active over Odisha and the coastal areas. This has resulted in a substantial amount of water vapor entering the state. However, there will be no significant change in temperature for the next four days, according to the MeT’s forecast.