The India Meteorological Department on Friday said that Odisha is projected to experience below-normal rainfall during the upcoming June-to-September monsoon season, largely driven by active El Niño conditions.
According to the long-range seasonal forecast, northern and western regions of Odisha are expected to bear the brunt of the rainfall deficit, whereas central and southern parts of the state will likely see normal or even above-normal precipitation, said Manorama Mohanty, the Director of the IMD Bhubaneswar Centre.
She highlighted that daytime temperatures across multiple locations in Odisha will continue to hover between 41 and 43 degrees Celsius over the course of the next 48 hours.
Hot and humidity weather is expected to prevail across several districts on Saturday, including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghapur, Cuttack, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khurda, and Nayagarh, according to the weather office.
The IMD, in its latest bulletin, thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and gusty surface winds of speeds reaching up to 60 to 70 kmph are anticipated on Saturday across Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Boudh, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Deogarh districts.
The IMD had issued an ‘orange warning’ (be prepared to take action) for these districts for Saturday.
Meanwhile, a ‘yellow warning’ (be aware) has also been issued for Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghapur, Cuttack, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Sonepur, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khurda, and Nayagarh districts.
State officials also reported that a localised whirlwind (a storm with strong winds that move in a circle), accompanied by heavy downpours, struck various pockets of western Odisha—specifically within Sonepur and Sundargarh districts—on Thursday, which knocked out electricity and water infrastructure while bringing down trees and utility poles.
Emergency response personnel have been engaged in all affected areas for clearance of road blockages and restoration of normal communication, they said.
The severe storm left a trail of destruction in Sundargarh district alone, where an estimated 350 residential structures sustained damage.
Several parts of Mayurbhanj, Kandhamal, and Kenonjhar were also impacted by the whirlwind, they added.
