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At least one person was killed as a thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy rains, struck coastal Odisha on Friday morning, the officials said, reported the PTI.The state capital Bhubaneswar on Friday received 26.2 mm rainfall between 10 and 11.
30 am, with strong winds uprooting trees in several areas, they said.According to the PTI, waterlogging was reported from several low-lying areas of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, they said, adding that more than 100 trees were uprooted in Cuttack`s Banki area, blocking the road to Bhubaneswar.The officials said that the trees were also uprooted in Pokhariput, Old Town, Chintamaniswar, Chandrasekharpur, Gajapati Nagar, Behera Dhaba and Balakati Road in Bhubaneswar.
Around fifteen teams of the Odisha Fire and Emergency Services were working to clear the roads, they said.The strong winds uprooted trees and electricity poles in other districts as well, disrupting power connectivity. Personnel of the Energy Department were working to restore services, they added, reported the PTI.
A middle-aged farmer was killed in a lightning strike in Puri district`s Satyabadi block while he was working in a field.The IMD has issued an `Orange` alert for remaining prepared for thunderstorms with lightning, and hailstorms with heavy rain in Mayurbhanj, Balasore and Bhadrak till 8.30 am on Saturday.
Thunderstorm activities are likely to persist till April 20, after which a rise in temperature is anticipated, it said.In view of the forecast, Special Relief Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh put all the districts on alert, directing the collectors to take measures to reduce the impact of the thunderstorm, lightning and rainfall.Parts of Maharashtra likely to witness above-normal rainfall, predicts IMDSeveral parts of Maharashtra are likely to witness above-normal rainfall this year, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted in its Long Range Forecast.
According to the IMD, most parts of states are likely to receive above-normal rainfall during the 2025 southwest monsoon season.The Long Range Forecast also indicates a higher chance of more than average rainfall in the regions of Marathwada and south Maharashtra.The national seasonal rainfall forecast was issued by IMD.
The monsoon in India is generally between June and September 2025.Southwest Monsoon generally begins in June and ends in September.Earlier, on Tuesday, the Long Range Forecast the seasonal rainfall during the Southwest Monsoon over the country as a whole this year is most likely to be above normal, at over 104 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA).
The seasonal rainfall over the country as a whole, based on both dynamical and statistical models, is likely to be 105 per cent of LPA, with a model error of plus/minus 5 per cent, the IMD said, as per an Earth Sciences Ministry statement. The LPA of the seasonal rainfall over the country as a whole for the period 1971-2020 is 87 cm, it said on Tuesday.As per the IMD, neutral El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are prevailing over the equatorial Pacific region, but the atmospheric circulation features are similar to La Nina conditions.
The latest Monsoon Mission Climate Forecast System (MMCFS) as well as other climate model forecasts indicate that the Neutral ENSO conditions are likely to continue during the monsoon season, it said.It further predicted that the IMD estimates a 59 per cent chance of rainfall being above normal or excess, and only a 2 per cent chance of deficient rainfall this year..
