Odisha faces a dual weather challenge as the Met office issued severe thunderstorm, lightning, and heavy rainfall alerts across several districts. Meteorological Centre Bhubaneswar confirmed that a thunder squall already battered regions including Bhubaneswar, Keonjhar, Gopalpur, and Rourkela over the last 24 hours. Rourkela also witnessed an isolated hailstorm, signaling an intense pre-monsoon atmospheric instability across the state.
Western Odisha remains trapped in a severe heatwave alongside these turbulent storms. Sambalpur recorded the state's highest maximum temperature at 44.2°C, closely followed by Titilagarh at 43.5°C and Sonepur at 43.1°C. Conversely, coastal and northern pockets experienced a sharp contrast, with Atmospheric dynamics in May frequently creating such sharp disparities where localized heating triggers sudden, violent convective storms.
Orange and yellow warnings dominate the day-one forecast map, targeting northern and interior zones. Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj are on high alert for isolated heavy rainfall and gusty surface winds reaching speeds of 50–60 kmph. The rest of the state remains under a watch for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and 40–50 kmph winds. Meanwhile, day temperatures are projected to stay steady before experiencing a welcome drop of 2–3°C over the following two days.
Squally weather conditions prompted urgent safety directives along the marine belt. Winds reaching 40–50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, are generating rough to very rough sea conditions along and off the North Odisha coast. Authorities have strictly advised the fishing community to avoid venturing into the sea until conditions stabilize. Twin cities Bhubaneswar and Cuttack registered maximum temperatures of 37.6°C and 36.4°C respectively, with both locations receiving moderate evening showers.
