Monsoon To Hit Odisha In Next 48-72 Hrs, Says IMD

Bhubaneswar, June 19: The Southwest Monsoon will hit Odisha in the next 48 to 72 hours, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said.

In a mid-afternoon bulletin, IMD forecast that conditions are favourable for the advancement of the monsoon in some parts of Odisha along with some parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh in the next 2-3 days.

The forecast comes against the backdrop of record-breaking heatwave conditions in Odisha that has thrown life out of gear. Capital Bhubaneswar has registered record-breaking temperatures this season, with the highest going up to 44.6 degrees Celsius.  During the last 24 hours, Sambalpur recorded the highest temperature in the country at 46 degree Celsius.

The normal onset of monsoon over Odisha is between June 10-12. However, there has been a delay of more than a week this year owing to the late arrival of the monsoon in Kerala and the cyclonic system ‘Biporjoy’ forming in the Arabian Sea. It has subsequently made landfall in Gujarat.

The IMD bulleting also said that temperature is also likely to fall by 3-5 degrees in eastern India during the next five days. Isolated to heavy rainfall is also expected in Odisha between June 21-23.