Heavy Rain, Thunder To Lash Odisha For 7 More Days; Squally Weather Along Coast On May 29-30

Bhubaneswar: The Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar on Sunday predicted increased thunderstorm activity accompanied by heavy rainfall and gusty winds over several districts of Odisha.

Thunderstorm/lightning with gusty surface wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph and heavy rainfall may occur in the afternoon/evening hours at one or two places in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Koraput, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Gajapati districts. Thunderstorm/lightning with surface wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph is also likely in the afternoon/evening hours at one or two places in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Sonepur, Boudh, Balangir, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri.

It further stated that thunderstorm activity along with heavy rainfall may continue till May 31.

This is being attributed to an upper air trough currently running from east-central Arabian sea to north Odisha, across central Maharashtra, north Telangana, South Chhattisgarh and the likely formation of a low-pressure area over west-central and adjoining North Bay of Bengal around May 27.

Squally weather with wind speed 35-45 kmph very likely over central Bay and adjoining north Bay of Bengal from May 28-30 and along and off Odisha coast from May 29-30. Sea conditions are likely to be moderate to rough. Fishermen have been advised against venturing into the deep sea from May 28 and along and off Odisha coast from May 29, the IMD further stated.

Notably, Odisha has seen a milder summer this May due to prolonged thunderstorm activities, triggered by frequent movement of western disturbances and the continuous flow of moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal into the mainland. Several parts of the state also experienced pre-monsoon showers on Saturday, providing relief from the hot and humid weather.

The already robust monsoon current could gain further strength as it approaches the state, driven by possible formation of the low-pressure system. If favourable conditions persist, the monsoon may arrive approximately 10 days early, around June 1, according to weather experts.