Eastern and central parts of the country will continue to witness light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning & hail, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) mentioned in its latest weather report.
A cyclonic circulation and low-pressure zone in lower tropospheric levels will enhance rainfall activity over northeast India and Sub Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during March 20-23.
Odisha to brace for heavy rainfall
IMD issued heavy rainfall warnings in five districts of Odisha from Wednesday morning. In a weather bulletin, IMD’s Bhubaneswar Centre on Tuesday predicted heavy rainfall in Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack and Nayagarh districts for today and tomorrow. The regional centre has issued an Orange Warning for these districts.
Predicting thunderstorms with lightning and gusty wind speeds of 30-40 kmph, the weather office has also issued an Orange Warning for Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Gajapati, Ganjam, Khordha, Nayagarh and Puri district.
Similarly, the local MeT centre issued a Yellow Warning (to be updated) regarding thunderstorms and lightning in Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts.
On Tuesday, Daringbadi recorded the highest rainfall of 26 mm, followed by 9.2 mm in Chandbali, 8 mm in Jajpur and Paralakhemundi, 7.1 mm in Bhubaneswar, 6.2 mm in Cuttack and 6 mm in Khurda.
The weather office has issued an advisory to keep a watch on the weather and advised people to take shelter during thunderstorms to protect themselves from lightning and follow traffic advisories in urban areas.
Rainfall in parts of the country
Rainfall activity is predicted over Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and east Madhya Pradesh for the next few days.
In the southern region, Telangana, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam will receive isolated light rainfall with thunderstorms & lightning.
Northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim will also see rainy conditions till March 25, IMD said.
Major onset of summer from April in Delhi
IMD has predicted mainly clear skies in the national capital today with the maximum and the minimum temperatures expected to settle at 33 and 13 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Delhi on Tuesday recorded a maximum temperature of 31.3 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the season, IMD data showed.
“There will be no major changes in the national capital’s weather during the next few days. The temperature will gradually increase, both maximum and minimum, with clear skies,” Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist and head of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Delhi, told PTI. The major onset of summer in Delhi will be witnessed in April, he added.