After several days of heavy rainfall, Odisha is projected to experience a short-term decrease in rain intensity over the coming days, followed by another wave of precipitation in early August, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Currently, an active depression located over the Bay of Bengal is positioned between central Chhattisgarh and northern interior Odisha, and it is anticipated to shift westward across Chhattisgarh and eastern Madhya Pradesh over the next 24 hours. As this weather system departs, the rainfall across Odisha is expected to decrease starting Thursday.
Despite the forecasted drop in rainfall, the IMD has issued a Yellow Warning for 18 districts, alerting residents about potential thunderstorms, lightning, light to moderate rain, along with gusty winds reaching speeds of 30 to 40 km/h.
The districts affected by the Yellow Warning include Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati, Nayagarh, Khordha, Puri, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, and Jharsuguda.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar forecasts that rainfall will be limited from July 30 to August 1, with only light to moderate showers expected in various areas of the state. Nevertheless, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds may still impact isolated regions.
Manorama Mohanty, Director of IMD Bhubaneswar, stated that there is no prediction of heavy rainfall during this timeframe, although thunderstorms, lightning, and moderate rain, along with gusty winds, are likely to affect coastal districts and northern areas such as Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Sundargarh.
The weather department has also suggested that rainfall activity is set to pick up again from August 2 to August 4, bringing another significant rainfall event to various parts of Odisha.
Authorities have urged residents to stay vigilant during thunderstorms, avoid open spaces during lightning, and heed weather advisories issued by local authorities as conditions may evolve quickly.
