IMD Issues Thunderstorm Warning for Odisha Till May 18

Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a thunderstorm alert for several districts across Odisha, forecasting adverse weather conditions till May 18. The state is likely to witness thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds over the next four days, with varying intensity across regions.

Detailed Forecast:

May 15 (Wednesday): An Orange Warning has been issued for Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Ganjam, Gajapati, Nawarangpur, Koraput, Malkangiri, and Rayagada, where thunderstorms with lightning and wind speeds of 50-60 kmph are expected in the afternoon and evening.

Similar conditions are likely in Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Sundargarh, and Kalahandi.

Other districts including Nuapada, Kandhamal, Boudh, Nayagarh, Khordha, Puri, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Jajpur, and Bargarh may experience wind speeds of 40-50 kmph with thunderstorms and lightning.

May 16 (Thursday): Districts such as Malkangiri, Koraput, Nawarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nayagarh, and Mayurbhanj are likely to face thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph.

Meanwhile, Nuapada, Balangir, Boudh, Angul, Keonjhar, Sonepur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Khordha, and Puri may see slightly lower wind speeds of 30-40 kmph along with thunder and lightning.

May 17 (Friday): Thunderstorm activity with winds up to 30-40 kmph is forecast for Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, and Nayagarh.

May 18 (Saturday): Similar weather conditions are expected in Sundargarh, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj, with thunderstorm and lightning likely to be accompanied by winds of 30-40 kmph.

The IMD has advised residents in the affected districts to remain alert and take necessary precautions during this period, especially during the afternoon and evening hours when the storms are expected to intensify.