Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has placed an Orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall affecting five districts in Odisha over the next 24 hours. This comes as the state prepares for widespread light to moderate rain and thunderstorms expected throughout the next week due to active monsoon conditions.
As per the IMD’s midday weather report, the districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, and Nuapada are anticipated to face heavy to very heavy rainfall until 8:30 AM on July 22. Additionally, a Yellow warning has been issued for Balasore, Deogarh, Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur, Boudh, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Nawrangpur during the same time frame. Isolated areas in 20 districts, including Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Angul, and Dhenkanal, may experience thunderstorms featuring lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 km/h.
The weather office indicated that light to moderate rain or thundershowers are likely to persist across all districts until July 28. Warnings for heavy rainfall will remain in effect for parts of northern and western Odisha from July 22 to July 27, with thunderstorm and lightning activities expected to continue in multiple districts at least until July 26. While no warnings are in place for July 27-28, rain is still forecasted for the state.
The IMD explained that the current weather patterns are the result of the monsoon trough extending from Sri Ganganagar to the northwest Bay of Bengal, along with another trough originating from an upper air cyclonic circulation over the west-central Bay of Bengal and extending across southern Odisha to the northeast Arabian Sea.
In the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 AM on Tuesday, light to moderate rainfall was observed in most areas of Odisha, with heavy rain recorded at isolated locations in Puri, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Bhadrak, Sambalpur, Mayurbhanj, and Balasore districts. Kakatpur in Puri district reported the highest rainfall at 11 cm, followed by Deogaon in Jharsuguda and Banaigarh in Sundargarh, both recording 10 cm.
The IMD cautioned that heavy rainfall could lead to localized flooding, waterlogging in low-lying urban areas, disruptions in traffic, decreased visibility, minor damage to unpaved roads, vulnerable structures, and standing crops, as well as potential landslides in at-risk areas. Residents are advised to steer clear of waterlogged areas, heed traffic advisories, and avoid staying in structures that may be vulnerable to such conditions.
For Bhubaneswar and neighboring regions, the IMD predicts a predominantly cloudy sky with chances of rain or thunderstorms within the next 24 hours. The expected maximum and minimum temperatures are around 32 degrees Celsius and 26 degrees Celsius, respectively.
