Bhubaneswar, March 21: The impact of Kalabaisakhi is likely to persist across Odisha, bringing rain and thunderstorms to several parts of the state till the end of the month, the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre said.
The weather office has forecast a drop in day temperature by 2–3°C over the next three days. However, the mercury is expected to rise again by 2–3°C in the subsequent four days.
According to the extended outlook, the probability of Kalbaisakhi-induced rainfall will increase between March 27 and April 2. This may keep the summer heat relatively subdued during the last week of March and the beginning of April.
On Friday, the maximum temperature across the state remained between 35°C and 36°C. Rainfall was recorded in Sundargarh, Baripada, Daringbadi and Nabarangpur under the influence of Kalbaisakhi.
For Saturday, light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms is likely at isolated places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Rayagada and Koraput districts. The rest of the state is expected to witness dry weather.
The department has also warned of thunderstorms with lightning, gusty winds and hailstorms in parts of Mayurbhanj and Balasore, with wind speeds likely to reach 50–60 kmph. In Keonjhar, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Kendrapara, rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and winds of 30–40 kmph is likely.
Kalbaisakhi activity is expected to continue till March 22, with intermittent rain and thunderstorms likely to occur in different parts of the state thereafter.
